Light through CYRS clouds
by LapisCow
Summary: Five years before the events of RWBY during the begining of the White Fang's uprising, team CYRS must train in Beacon to protect the world from monsters and criminals that would do it harm. Carter, the mysterious traveler. Yuan, a goofy Mage. Raphael, a Faunus bent on revenge. Sam, the honor bound soldier. And all the other students attending Beacon, each unique in their own way.
1. Copper trailer

_Note: This is my first story, so I appreciate any reviews that anyone has to offer. I plan on updating the story every wednesday or so. Thank you for your time, here is the first trailer of the story; Copper_

_I do not own RWBY, it belongs to Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum._

_Special thanks to:_

_Otaku_dude_

_DeathByFabulousness_

_Mincer_

_For coming up with a few of the characters that will appear later in the story. Also very big thanks to The Rouge King for using one of my characters in his story; Team NAVD. You'll meet the character I submitted in the fourth trailer._

* * *

The harsh sunlight beamed down on the vast ocean of sand, the warm wind blowing and changing the dunes like waves on a sea. A lone figure walked across the desert, his shoulders covered by a dark green scarf that whipped in the wind behind him. He wore a grey jacket buttoned up nearly to the neck, and a small metal shoulder pad sat on his left shoulder. The man wore metal gauntlets on his hands as he grasped the scarf above his lower face him to protect from the harsh sunlight and billowing sand. He wore light brown pants that matched the sand around him with metal knee guards on strong straps. Two holsters rested at his waist on the left and right, swaying as the man walked. His metal boots sunk into the sand with each step, yet each indentation was quickly swept away by the wind. As he reached the top of yet another dune, it could be seen that he had green eyes that looked across the sand. He stopped and stood staring out into the desert, seeing nothing but the seemingly never ending desert that spread out in all directions.

The man pulled out a compass from the bag slung over his shoulder and was about to check his course when something caught his attention. Any untrained eye wouldn't have noticed the slight disfigurations in the sand, though the man clearly saw the shapes moving under the desert, like sharks about to rise from the oceans surface. One of the many shapes moving around him suddenly changed its course and erupted out of the sand towards the figure, but the man quickly sidestepped as the Death Stalker landed behind him. The scorpion turned around to face the man, snapping its pincers angrily. The creature was about the same size as the man, with red markings covering its white armor plating along its back and pincers. It raised its stinger, ready to strike, and the man saw more of the scorpions begin to rise out of the sand around him.

Two more Death Stalkers rose out of the sand on either side of the man, and the first rushed at him, stinger poised to strike. The man jumped to the side to avoid the attack, only for the right Death Stalker to swipe at him with its open pincer. The man raised his arm to block the attack, and the pincer struck against the metal gauntlet, letting a ring out into the desert. The Death Stalker pushed into the man, it's pincer squeezing tightly around the gauntlet as it attempted to break his harm, but the man quickly pulled a small pistol out of one of his holsters and shot the Scorpion in its mouth, killing it. Another Death Stalker was quickly onto the man. but before it could swipe him with its pincer, the man put his foot on the now lifeless body of the dead scorpion and propelled himself into the air above the remaining two Grimm. He pulled out his other pistol and shot down onto the creatures, but the shots only ricocheted harmlessly of the tough armor.

The man landed back onto the ground, and raised the two pistols at the pair of scorpions. The first Death Stalker screeched a battle cry and charged at the man, while the second burrowed into the ground, planing a surprise attack. The man fired multiple shots at the charging Scorpion, and though most of them bounced of the creatures armor, a few of the shots reached their target. The creature screeched as it stopped just in front of the man, it's eyes oozing dark red blood. The Death Stalker swiped at the man blindly, but the man easily dodged the attacks and slammed his metal boot against the creatures mouth, cracking and breaking its armor. The Grimm was pushed back and spat blood, and was about to turn and attack the man again when a shot was heard and another bullet pierced through the creatures cracked hide, killing it.

The man barely had time to lower his gun and look around for the third Death Stalker before it erupted from the ground next to him and attacked. The creatures pincer passed inches in front of the mans masked face as he turned to dodge the attack. The man reacted quickly, firing his pistols at the creature as it landed, only for the Grimm to burrow back into the sand. Green eyes scanned the sand, looking for where the creature would emerge next. The man aimed one of his pistols out at the ground ready to shoot, while on the other he pushed a small button while holding the trigger, causing a high pitched sound to begin emanating from it. A noise to the right turned the mans head as the Death Stalker burrowed towards him, appearing as a mass moving rapidly through the sand. The man fired his pistol at the approaching creature multiple times, but the shots missed as the creature moved around under the sand. When only a few feet away the creature erupted from the ground, mouth agape to bite at the man. As the creature was about to reach the man he raised the charging pistol and released the trigger, causing a noise like a small explosion to rip through the desert and launching the scorpion backwards. The Death Stalker bumped and skipped across the sand for several meters until it finally skidded to a stop, laying in a heap of strange angles and twitching legs.

More of the creatures began to move through the sand towards where the man stood. A few of them appeared above the ground, snapping angry pincers as they advanced on their target. The man sheathed one of his pistols while he pressed another button on the other. The weapon started to fold outwards, extending its barrel and flipping up a small scope, changing the weapon into a rifle. The man loaded a clip into the rifle before aiming down the scope and firing at the oncoming onslaught of creatures. The bullets fired from the rifle were much more powerful than its pistols form, and the bullets no longer bounced harmlessly of the armor but ripped through it. The Death Stalkers numbers were thinned to half before the first of the scorpions got close to the man. As the closest Grimm drew near the man pressed another button on his weapon, and a small blade extended from the back of the rifle. The Death Stalker swung its pincer at the man, but he jumped and avoided the attack before spinning the gun around to point to the sky and fired again, propelling the small blade into the creatures head as he landed.

As the man wrenched the blade from the lifeless Grimm he was forced backwards as more of the creatures reached him. Some of the scorpions burrowed underground and appeared behind the man, and soon the creatures surrounded him. He pulled out his other pistol and transformed it into its rifle form, extending the small blade on it as well. The Death Stalkers snapped and jumped, trying to find a weakness in the mans defenses as they attacked him from all angles. But the man refused to give ground, and it looked like the fight was starting to even out. That is until on of the more intelligent creatures burrowed right underneath and attacked. When the two collided they tumbled down a dune, the scorpion snapping its pincers trying to strike the man. As they reached the bottom of the dune the man kicked the Death Stalker away and righted himself. The creature turned to attack the man, tail raised. The man quickly tossed one of his rifles into the air and caught the barrel, and upon pressing another button, the weapon transformed again. The clip and grip along with the rest of the rifle folded towards the barrel, revealing that the small blade at the end of the rifle was just the point of a large double edged blade. The barrel and grip folded together to form the handle of the broad sword the weapon had become. The blades metal was a slight blue color with strange symbols engraved into it.

The Death Stalker seemed unfazed by the weapon in front of it, and clicked its pincers angrily before charging the man. The mans other rifle was still in rifle form but he did not fire it, waiting for the creature to get closer before striking. The scorpion swung its claw at the man, but it was quickly blocked by the rifle before the man pulled the trigger on the handle of the broadsword, propelling the blade fast enough to leave a blue streak through the air as it chopped through the creatures side. The Death Stalker screeched as its claw fell to the ground, separated from its body. The man pushed a button on the other rifle, and it transformed into a broadsword as well. This swords blade however was single edged and had a more reddish hue, but with the same strange symbols etched onto the blade. The scorpion turned to strike with its remaining claw, but was parried away before the man embedded both broadswords into the creatures hide.

The rest of the scorpions descended down the dune to attack. The man jumped back, pulling the to blades from the dead scorpion. The creatures numbers were nearly gone now, and they had no real advantage as they threw themselves at the man. He was able to doge and cut around the creatures until only a few remained. The man fitted the two ends of the broadswords handles together with a small click, combining them into a double bladed staff as the last of the Death Stalkers surrounded him. The closest Grimm jumped to attack, but the end of the staff caught its underbelly and lunched it past. Another attempted to go for the mans feet, but was easily avoided and found the end of the staff in its back. The last of the Grimm made one last desperate attempt, taking a great leap at the man. But before the creature could reach him, he threw his staff spinning towards the oncoming Scorpion. The spinning blades passed right through the Grimm, and the creatures two halves landed in front of the man.

Silence again enveloped the desert as the man walked over the dead Grimm and pulled the staff from the sand where it had landed. The only thing that moved among the sand and occasional dead Grimm was the green scarf that flapped around the man as he surveyed the carnage of the battle. It almost seemed like peace returned to the desert until a huge noise turned the mans attention. A huge mass of sand was moving rapidly towards where he stood, just like the scorpion Grimm had done before. As the shape beneath the sand came closer, it reveled itself with a explosion of sand as it burst above the surface of the desert. This Death Stalker was much larger than the others, being almost three times their size. It had scars along its back and pincers, which showed battle experience as it clicked its jaw angrily. The man swung his staff around, taking a battle stance as the creature advanced onto him. The scorpion swung its pincer, sending up a cloud of sand as it struck at the man. He quickly jumped and then propelled off the claw, spinning the staff to try and pierce the creatures armor. The blade bounced harmlessly off the creatures armor, and he landed on the side of the creature. Before the Grimm could turn he separated the two broadswords and sliced off two of the scorpions legs. Doing this though left a opening for the Death Stalker, and as it turned it slammed its pincer into the man, launching him across the sand.

The man righted himself before changing the two weapons back to rifle form and firing at the grim. The shots bounced of the armor harmlessly as the creature burrowed under the ground, charging again as a huge mass of sand. The man turned and ran up a dune behind him as the mass approached. As the huge Grimm reached the top of the dune chasing the man, it erupted from the ground as it ran out of ground to dig under. As the man and the scorpion fell past the dune he landed on the head and fired multiple shots into the Death Stalkers eyes. The scorpion screeched and righted itself so that as it landed it burrowed under the sand once more, throwing the man off its back. The mass of sand turned and charged again at the man as he turned to face the creature. He quickly changed both his weapons back to pistol form as he charged towards the oncoming Grimm. He pressed a button on both pistols while holding the trigger and they began emitting a high pitched noise as they charged up. As the man and the mass of sand almost reached each other, the man jumped and released the triggers, using the explosion like force from the pistols to launch himself over the Death Stalker. It seemed as if the man would be able to avoid the Grimm completely, until the creatures tail appeared from the sand and struck. The man landed to the side in a heap, both his pistols landing some distance away.

The man staggered as he attempted to righten himself, but the Death Stalker was already above the ground and advancing on him. When the man was finally able to stand strait, he breathed in deeply, preparing himself. The huge Grimm was now almost on him, and it swung its huge pincer once more. This time though the man was ready, and he dashed forwards to avoid the strike. The Death Stalkers pincer dug into the sand, and the man grabbed it, holding down. The creature growled and swung its free claw at the mans head, but he caught the end of the claw before it hit him. The man struggled to keep both pincers back, but the immense Grimm had more strength. The creature snapped its jaws angrily and pushed towards the man, his feet leaving a gouge in the sand. The man shook as he struggled, and as the scorpion sensed weakness it lifted its tail to attack. The man breathed deeply again as the creature was about to strike. The Death Stalker thrust its tail towards the man, but before it could hit him he glowed a faint green and his entire body turned rigged. When the stinger made contact with the mans head it shattered like it had hit stone, spreading orange particles across the sand. The scorpion screeched in agony as it wrenched its claws from the mans grasp and swung the remains of its tail in pain. The man stopped glowing and dashed forwards, grabbing the creatures jaws and ripping them from its mouth before jumping back. The creature screeched again, spraying black blood across the sand.

The Death Stalker was blinded by rage and pain as it swung wildly, letting the man retrieve one of his pistols from the ground. The man spun the pistol, transforming it into and past the rifle form and into the single edged broadsword. The huge creature swung around to face the man after hearing the transformation and charged blindly. The man aimed carefully before throwing the sword, pulling the trigger at the same time to fire a shot the propelled the blade strait into the creatures gaping mouth. The blade passed straight through the scorpions body and exploded out the back, and the Death Stalker let out a gargled screech that cut off as it collapsed onto the ground.

The man sighed as he breathed deeply from the fight, his aura almost drained from him. He walked over and retrieved his sword from the sand before transforming it back into the pistol and placing it into its holster. After retrieving the other pistol from the ground and putting it away as well, he walked up to the top on one of the taller dunes as if nothing had happened. When he reached the top he again retrieved the small compass from his bag, but looked around wearily before checking it. After correcting his course he continued down the dune, with the sun beaming down on the vast ocean of sand.

* * *

_Name: Carter Dawnark_

_Weapons name: Azul and Rojo_

_Semblance name: Endurance_

_Thanks for reading, the rest of the trailers will be posted soon._


	2. Gold trailer

_Second trailer: Gold_

_Enjoy!_

* * *

The shopping district of Vale was quiet as the day ended, and the shops that lined the street were closing for the night. One particular dust shop, named "Enchanters" was about to close its doors as well. The shop's shelves were lined with a variety of packages, each containing a different assortment of dust. Crystals ranging in various sizes and colors lined the shelves in no particular order as well. A tall skinny boy with shaggy longish blond hair swept the floor of the shop by the window. He had hazel eyes and pale skin, and a kind face. He wore a light blue tunic that usually had a small chest plate over it, but the armor was currently tucked away with the boys weapons in the small apartment at the back of the shop. He wore light brown pants with metal knee guards and an old looking pair of sneakers. A leather pouch was strung over his shoulder and rested at his side.

As the boy finished sweeping, he heard his name being called as one of his younger sisters ran up to him. "Yuan! Yuan! Show me how to do magic!" She said as she waved a small red crystal in her hand, "C'mon show me! Show me!"

"Whoa whoa slow down," Yuan said as he leaned the broom against the wall and knelt down to the small girl. "First off, it's not magic, its dust" he said, picking up one of the packages on the shelf and pointing to the label. "Second, this stuff is dangerous, so I'm gonna have to take that" he said as he held out his hand for the crystal.

"Aww," the girl whined before handing the crystal over to the boy.

"And third of all," Yuan continued, tossing the red crystal in his hand, "I can't do a thing without Morning Star"

"Awwww, pleeeeeeesssseeeee?" His sister said with big eyes.

"Alright alright, you've talked me into it," Yuan replied, ruffling the girls hair as she giggled. Yuan placed the crystal inside of the bag at his side.

"You're not going anywhere mister," a voice said from behind the two. Yuan turned and stood up to see his mother standing there, holding a baby in one arm while her free hand was on her hip. "We haven't closed yet."

"We've only got a few minuets before we close," Yuan protested.

"All the more time for someone to come in," his mother replied, but she seemed to be paying only half attention. the baby in her arms began to cry and another toddler was tugging at her leg. "Have you finished packing?" She asked as she rocked the baby.

"I don't leave until next week," Yuan replied. His mother gave him a fleeting but stern look. "Yes..." He sighed.

The small girl at Yuan's side tugged at his leg. "Yuan, I wanna see some magic!" She said.

Yuan turned to face the girl before speaking. "I'm sorry, maybe ill be able to-"

"I'll cover your shift," another voice said. Yuan's only older sibling, Aria, walked over to the group. She had blonde hair like her brother, but had longer hair and seemed a few years older.

Yuan's mother appeared to think about it for a moment as she switched the baby to her other arm. "Alright, fine. But don't go and use any of that in here. Do it outside."

"Yay!" The smaller girl said as she started tugging on Yuan's hand.

"Thanks Aria," Yuan said as he let the little girl drag him away.

"You owe me!" Aria called back. Yuan smiled and waved her off as he entered the apartment behind the shop. The first and largest room of the apartment was a combination of dining and living space. A couch fitted in one side of the room while on the other was a line of counters, and above those were cabinets. A few doors led to the bed rooms and bathroom on the far wall. In the center of the room stood a dining table, with one of its legs propped up with a brick. Around the table stood a abundant of chairs, all different shapes and sizes, though some seemed to be falling apart. On two of these chairs were the last of Yuan's siblings; two brothers that were playing a game of cards.

One of the boys spoke when he saw the skinny boy walk in, "Hey Yuan! We're playing _Hunters_, wanna join?"

Before Yuan could respond however, the small girl at his side spoke. "Nope! He's to busy showing me magic!"

"What?" The first boy asked, not noticing his other brother sneaking a look at his cards. "Cool! I wanna see too!"

The small girl began to protest before the oldest of the group cut in. "Alright alright, just give me a second to-" A bell chime sounded from the shop across the wall, cutting off Yuan.

"Wonder who could be shopping this late," the younger brother said, looking to the old clock mounted to the wall.

"Don't know," Yuan said, looking to the door to the shop. He had a strange feeling from his aura, like when it warned him from danger. The small girl tugged at his shirt again and started to complain before Yuan shushed her. He placed his ear to the door and listened intently.

"Welcome to Enchanters, humblest dust shop around. How may I help you today?" It was his mothers voice, saying the usual routine for any costumer. Yuan heard multiple sets of feet walking into the shop, almost a dozen from what it sounded like. "You must be the White Fang! We're honored to have such peaceful and influential visitors. If you need anything, just ask."

Yuan heard snickering from a few of the people who entered the shop. Then a voice spoke, apparently coming from a figure of authority, for the other voices silenced when he spoke. "Im glad to hear that. It will make things much easier."

Yuan's mother spoke again, her voiced confused, "What do you-" she gasped as Yuan heard multiple clicks, which sounded like weapons being raised.

"Now that we have the formalities down, we can get to business." The man said. "Empty the cash register." Yuan took his ear from the door and turned to his three younger siblings behind him. They had a look of fear in their eyes, and the little girl was whimpering. Yuan pointed to the children, then to one of the doors at the back of the room, before finally putting his finger to his lips. The boys got the message, and quickly but silently took their sister through one of the apartments doors.

After the door was shut behind them Yuan quickly went to another door and opened it slowly. Inside where three beds, and he quietly hurried over to the small cabinet by the largest bed. Inside was Yuan's small chest plate, which he quickly fitted over his tunic. There was also a large triangular shield, made completely of a silver-like metal. After strapping the shield to his arm the boy turned to the final object inside the cabinet. The swords blade was shiny silver, and the hilt was a circular shape horizontal to the blade, with a hole through the center like a donut. Opposite the blade was the cylinder grip to the sword. Along the outside of the doughnut-like hilt were holes, and Yuan took the red dust crystal he had gotten from sister and placed it into one of the holes with a click.

After taking the sword Yuan silently left the room and went back to the door that led to the shop. He slowly opened the door and slipped inside the store before hiding behind one of the shelves. He almost didn't notice Aria hiding behind a shelf as well, holding the toddler that had tugged on his mother earlier. She let out a small gasp when she saw Yuan, but quickly covered her mouth with her hand. Yuan motioned her to go and hide in the apartment, but she scrunched her eyebrows and shook her head as if to say 'I'm not leaving you'. Yuan rolled his eyes and motioned again, but this time he also pointed to the child in her arms. She sighed and reluctantly edged to the door and was quickly out of sight.

After Aria was gone Yuan carefully looked out from behind the shelf. Almost a dozen men stood around the counter where his mother frantically tried to pull money from the register and into a bag. Almost all the men had strange masks covering their faces with slits for eyes save for one. The man without a mask must have been the one who Yuan had heard earlier, as he was the one closest to the counter and giving the orders. He wore a black fur coat and metal bands on his wrist. He had two wolf ears on his head along with long slick black hair. When the man turned to speak with the Faunus next to him, the boy saw a bandage covering the mans left eye.

The baby Yuan's mother was holding began to cry, and the masked goon closest to Yuan growled before speaking. "Shut up!" The baby cried louder, and many of the other Faunus started to get angry as well. Yuan took the opportunity and snuck quietly from behind the shelf. Yuan's mother saw the boy and stopped dead in her tracks. Yuan motioned for her to get down, but she stood frozen. The Faunus in front of Yuan spoke again, drawing his sword. "Hey, I told you to shut up, not freeze!" The Faunus was about to walk forwards towards the women, but Yuan struck the back of his neck with the hilt of his sword.

The man collapsed, but another Faunus turned to look at Yuan angrily before swinging his sword. Yuan blocked the strike with his sword before smashing his shield against the Faunus, knocking him out cold. Yuan's mother seemed to come to her senses and ducked down under the counter. The unmasked Faunus with wolf ears turned to Yuan and growled. "What do we have hear?" The man said, "Don't you know to stay out of grown up business kid?" Two Faunus appeared behind Yuan with swords raised, while two more next to the man pointed pistols at the boy.

"You don't like it, come and get me wolfy," Yuan said, raising his shield. The wolf Faunus growled again and motioned the other Faunus to attack. The two with pistols opened fire, but Yuan raised his shield and the shots bounced harmlessly off it. The other White Fang behind Yuan charged, swords raised. The blonde boy quickly ducked and rolled out of the way, putting the charging Faunus directly in the line of fire for the pistols. One was hit and fell to the ground, but the other avoided the shots, only for Yuan to slam his shield into the Faunus's side. The masked Faunus fell to the ground, and Yuan looked back up to the man. The two White Fang soldiers at his side had stopped firing and were looking at their comrade that had been hit with their fire.

"Why are you not firing! Kill him!" The man ordered, making the other two jump as they raised their weapons and fired again. Yuan rolled out of the way in between two of the tall shelves. He stood up only to hear a shout behind him, and he turned to see another White Fang member charging him with his sword drawn. He raised his his shield and as the blade collided with it the metal on metal rang. The Faunus dropped his blade and clutched his hand before he was knocked to the ground from a hit from Yuan's shield.

Two more of the White Fang appeared on either side of the isle, swords raised. "Let's get em!" One said, and they both charged. Yuan pushed down on the red crystal in the hilt of his sword with a click, and the blade erupted into flame. The Faunus stopped in their tracks, one of them saying; "What the?" before Yuan slammed his shield into the stunned man. The second Faunus took a swing at the boy, but Yuan paired away the strike, slicing the White Fangs sword with his fiery blade. The Faunus looked down at the melted stub of metal in his hand before turning and running right out of the shop.

Yuan chuckled as the fire died out from his sword, the red crystal was completely deteriorated. Then he heard a sound from behind him and whirled around to see the wolf Faunus standing there with the two other White Fang members. The two grunts no longer held pistols though. Those had been replaced with much larger rifles, and were aimed right at the blonde boy. "What's the matter, afraid to face me alone?" Yuan said, pointing his sword at the man.

The Faunus made a noise somewhere between a growl and a chuckle before speaking. "Your in no position to make any sort of statements." The man motioned to the men on either side of him, "kill him." The Faunus opened fire onto the boy. His shield was just large enough to protect him from the hail of bullets, but the constant impact began to push him back. The gun shots ricocheted off the shield and hit the shelves. One of the shots flew into one of the larger crystal that stood with many others. The crystal shattered, causing and enormous explosion to rip through the shop, launching Yuan back through one of the shop windows. He landed hard on the pavement and his vision went blurry.

Yuan sat up and looked around. His vision was beginning to clear but his ears were still ringing. He could faintly hear sirens blaring, and when his vision cleared he saw his family shop, "Enchanters". But it was smoking, glass was broken, and three men walked out of the building and walked towards Yuan. He shook his head to try and clear his vision. He saw his shield to far away to reach, but his sword was still at his side. He staggered upright, clutching the sword, then reached inside his bag and placed more crystals in the hilt until it was filled with six.

The wolf Faunus laughed when he saw the boy. "Still got some fight in you huh? What're you gonna do without your shield?"

"I... I still got..." Yuan stammered to speak, his ears were still ringing. He raised his sword and pointed it at the man.

The man laughed again, louder this time. "Suit yourself," he said before speaking to the other two. "Shots wide open. Try and do it right this time." The Faunus lifted their guns to point at Yuan, but before they could shoot Yuan transformed his weapon. The grip extended multiple feet, and the hilt folded outward to create a sun shape. After the transformation the sword had become a spear-like staff. Yuan concentrated his aura and a white crystal on the staff began to glow.

The men aimed and fired at the boy, but Yuan raised his staff and a white bubble shield appeared around him. The shots bounced off the shield and flew into the pavement and air, forcing the men to stop firing as they took cover. As the shield faded another red crystal on the staff began to glow. Yuan swung the staff in an arc in front of him, creating two large fireballs that launched at the Faunus. The fiery missiles spiraled through through the air and exploded on the ground near the White Fang, throwing the two grunts back and sending up a billow of smoke.

Then the leader wolf Faunus appeared from the cloud of smoke, brushing himself off. Yuan swung the staff around and took a defensive stance as the man stopped a few meters away. "You want something done, you gotta do it yourself." The man muttered, before raising both his hands. The bands on his wrist extended and folded outwards, covering his hands like metal gloves. Metal blades like claws extended from each finger. The man flexed his gloved hand before growling and charging at Yuan. The blonde boy raised his staff and yelled out a battle cry before charging as well. When the two got close the Faunus jumped over the boy and landed behind him, slashing with his claws. Yuan raised his spear behind him and blocked the attack. The man continued to slash at the boy relentlessly, barley leaving Yuan time to make any strikes as he blocked the onslaught. The boy took a swing at the mans head with the bladed staff, but the Faunus caught the blade and kicked Yuan in the chest, launching him back. The boy landed next to his shield, coughing. He looked to see the wolf Faunus still holding the blade of the staff, observing the weapon. "What quality metal. It's a shame it had to be wasted on a human such as yourself. I think I'll keep it as a trophy."

"That's... mine..." Yuan coughed, which only seemed to amuse the man.

The Faunus laughed before answering. "Oh really? Why don't you take it from me then."

"Gladly," the boy grunted, raising his hand towards his weapon. A purple crystal on the hilt of the staff began to glow, until a bolt of electricity surged through the staffs blade and into the Faunus holding it. The man yelled as he was shocked, and Yuan picked up the shield next to him and threw it at the mans chest. The shield impacted and knocked the man down, and the staff fell to the ground.

The sirens got closer and multiple police cars and fire trucks appeared around the corner of the street. Yuan saw the wolf Faunus drag himself from the ground before quickly slipping into the shadows, then his entire family emerged from the burning shop. His mother and multiple emergency medics rushed to Yuan's side before he finally collapsed.

* * *

_Name: Yuan Encanto_

_Weapons name: Morning Star and Tower sheild_

_Semblance name: Dust control_


	3. Platinum Trailer

_Note: the trailers are mostly in chronological order. Copper is first, but this trailer happens a day or two before the Gold trailer. so without further to do, here's the third trailer; Platinum_

* * *

Barley any light shone deep in the alleyways of the lower district of Vale. The moon was covered by clouds and the only light came from the small splotches that escaped the occasional window. Nothing could be seen through the thick shadows that cloaked this place, that is, for a human at least. The two Faunus that moved through these alleyways could see just fine, their heritage allowing them to see in the dark. The two men walked through a patch of light, and they could briefly be seen. The first Faunus was an old man, with a short beard and two floppy dog ears that touched his shoulders. He was dressed mostly in old clothing and he carried a wooden walking stick. The second Faunus was younger, looking to be in his late teens. He had short, dark brown hair and a pair of spotted cheetah ears on his head. His dark orange eyes scanned through the darkness for danger. He wore black t-shirt covered by a ragged leather jacket with the sleeves torn off. He had a stocky build and wore raged blue jeans with a chain as a belt. His arms had thick metal bracers and his black leather boots barley made any noise as he sneaked through the alleyways.

The two Faunus stopped in front a locked metal door. On the door was what used to be a symbol of a blue wolf head, but now a red wolf head with three claw marks covered it. The red paint looked fresh, like the color of blood. The old dog Faunus turned to the younger boy before speaking. "Be on your guard. We don't know what to expect." The cheetah eared teen nodded, and the man knocked on the metal door with his walking stick.

A metal slot opened on the door to reveal a pair of cat-like blue eyes. "Who's there?" A voice asked. "State yer business."

"We heard the White Fang was calling a meeting." The old man responded.

The blue eyes behind the slot looked from the old man to the teen and back before grunting. "Alright, wait a moment." The slot closed and the sound of locks and chains could be heard before the door opened. The blue eyed Faunus who had been behind the door wore a black hood, and he motioned the two inside. After the old Faunus and the teen were inside, he closed the door behind them and locked it. "Meetings down the hall," the cloaked Faunus said, pointing.

"Thank you." The old man said before the two turned and walked down the hall. The cloaked Faunus sat back down onto a stool by the metal door.

At the end of the hall the pair walked into a large room with a small stage on the opposite wall, and many rows of chairs lined the floor. Inside the room were dozens of men and women, all with either animal ears, horns, or tails. A few of the Faunus that stood by the walls had cloaks like the man at the door, but they wore metal masks over their faces as well. One of the men on the stage, a wolf Faunus with black hair and a fur coat with metal bands on his wrist, noticed the two as they walked in. "Bonitas! How nice of you to join us!" The man hoped of the stage and walked over to the pair.

"Nice to see you as well Vito" The old Faunus said.

Vito turned to the teen by Bonitas's side. "And I see you brought Raphael as well! Excellent, the more the merrier!"

"Yes, I though it would be appropriate," Bonitas replied. "If you don't mind me asking, why have you called this surprise meeting?"

"I'm glad you asked!" Vito said, looking towards a clock above the stage. "In fact, its just about time to start, so take a seat and you'll find out." And with that Vito walked back up to the stage next to a large bear Faunus. The burly man wore a pair of metal shoulder pads and his cropped brown hair had a pair of bear ears protruding from it.

Bonitas turned to the boy next to him. "What do you think of this Raphael?" He asked.

The boy had been silent for the entirety of the conversation, arms crossed and watching quietly as he usually did. When he responded, his eyes were still on Vito and the Faunas next to him. "Something isn't right. Vito usually isn't this happy."

The old man chuckled. "I suppose so. Lets see what he has to say." And he took a seat facing the stage, as did the rest of the Faunus in the room.

Vito spoke, gesturing to all of the people in front of him. "Welcome brothers and sisters! I thank you for joining me and my colleagues tonight. I have called this meeting to address a pressing matter. As many of you know, our esteemed leader has decided to step down from office, due to troubles with his health. As his son is too young to take control of the group, I have been appointed to take control of the White Fang." Vito paused as a few of the Faunus in the small crowd applauded.

"That explains why he's so joyful," Bonita's muttered before the wolf Faunus began speaking again. "And with this new power," Vito began, "I have decided to begin a new revolution for Faunus rights! For too long have we been stomped on by the humans, and I believe it is time for us to stomp back!" A few murmurs came from the crowd before Vito started up again. "Peaceful strikes and boycotts have done nothing to help our cause, and I believe that we must now take matters into our own hand, by taking what is ours!" Many of the Faunus in the room were cheering, clearly in agreement with the wolf Faunus. A few of the people however looked concerned and unsure.

"What?!" Bonitas said, standing up and drawing many eyes, including Vito's. "You can't be serious! Violence will only make things worse!" The few Faunus that had not cheered nodded in agreement with the old man.

Vito looked taken aback, clearly not expecting to have been challenged. "Bonitas, I thought you of all people would understand, what with the troubles you've been through."

"That is no reason to go to violence." Bonitas stated. "If we were to follow you, than it would start another war!"

Vito's expression changed from welcoming to angry, and he addressed the crowd once again. "Faunus of Vale! You have heard both sides, now which do you choose? Will you stand with a crazy old man, or your esteemed leader? Stand by me brothers and sisters, and you will find freedom!" Most of the Faunus in the crowd stood and walked onto the stage with Vito, including some of those who had not agreed originally. Only a few stayed sitting, and none stood by Bonitas except Raphael.

"You're a fool Vito!" Bonitas said with disgust.

"I am not the fool, you are!" Vito said angrily. "Where will you be when we gain freedom?! In the dump?! The ally?! Just twiddling your thumbs while the humans walk all over you!"

"I'm content to stand wherever I please, as long as it is not by you." Bonitas said coldly.

"If you are not with us, than you are against us!" Vito snarled. "Guards! Kill them!" The masked Faunus around the wall of the room advanced on the two, drawing swords and axes. Many of the Faunus who had remained seated panicked, and either ducked down below chairs or fled the room.

Raphael growled as the the masked men surrounded him and Bonitas. "You just had to go and start a fight, didn't you." He said, going back to back with the old dog Faunus.

The old man chuckled. "Don't pretend you weren't hoping something like this would happen. And thank you, for staying by my side."

Raphael grunted in response as the White Fang closed in. "Go for the old man! He'll be the easiest!" One of the masked men said. Two of the Faunus charged Bonitas, axes raised. The old man chuckled again before using his walking stick to block the first strike with surprising speed. He spun the staff around, knocking both men to the ground. As Bonitas dealt with the men attacking him, two more Faunus advanced on Raphael. One of them struck, but Raphael blocked the blade with his bracer before he uppercut the man into a few rows of chairs. The other swung his axe at the boys head, but the axe glanced off Raphael's bracer and he kicked the masked Faunus in the chest, launching him into another grunt.

More White Fang jumped over the chairs and charged Raphael. The boy raised his arms as a blade extended from the front each of his gauntlets. He roared savagely before charging at the oncoming grunts. Raphael barreled through the first two Faunus before slashing out, disarming another. He jumped and kicked the disarmed Faunus, sending him spiraling into the wall of the room. Two more swung their swords at the boy, but he blocked the strikes and smashed his gauntlets into the Fanus's masks, breaking them apart. One more White Fang member ran at Raphael, wielding a large two handed axe. The cheetah eared boy flicked his arm, and the blade on each arm split into three. The new blades became jointed, like claws, and as the huge axe swung down Raphael caught it with the blade claws. He wrenched the axe away from man and smacked him with the handle, knocking him onto the ground.

The blue eyed Faunus from the metal door ran into the room, rifle in hand. Once he saw Raphael, he aimed and fired a barrage of bullets at the boy. Raphael took cover behind a few chairs, and transformed his weapon again. On each gauntlet the claw blades folded back together into one blade, then retracted back into the gauntlet. Then a gun barrel extended from each gauntlet to take the blades place. After the weapon transformation finished Raphael appeared from behind the cover and fired at the Faunus. A shot hit the mans shoulder, and he dropped his weapon as he clutched at the wound, slouching against the wall.

* * *

Vito watched from the stage with the large bear Faunus and a few White Fang guards. The Faunus that had joined his cause had been moved through a back door and were on their way to the White Fang HQ. he saw Raphael take down the door guard before speaking to the burly bear Faunus next to him. "Bruno, take him out."

The bear Faunus chuckled before taking out a huge hammer with a spike on its head. "I'm gonna smash him to pieces." He said, grinning.

"Hurry up with it will you? We've got a few more of these to do." Vito said, glaring at the two Faunus decimating his men. The burly Faunus charged off the stage towards the cheetah eared boy.

* * *

Raphael heard a huge crashing sound and turned just in time to see the bear Faunus charging him. The burly man swung his huge hammer at the boy, and Raphael barley had time to dodge the strike. As the hammer hit the ground it scattered chairs and left a small hole in the floor. Raphael aimed both gauntlets and fired at the man, but the bear Faunus glowed a faint tan color, and the bullets ricocheted off his body. Bruno chuckled before smashing his hammer into the boy, launching him back into a row of chairs.

Raphael barley had time to react as Bruno charged at where he lay amongst the chairs. The bear Faunus swung his huge hammer, and the boy focused his semblance. As the hammer was nearly inches from his face, the boy glowed a faint red and moved suddenly in a blur. To others he appeared a blur as he darted out of the way, but from Raphael's perspective the world around him seemed to slow to a crawl. The teen moved around Bruno, hitting him with multiple kicks before finally releasing his semblance, and the world around him returned to normal speed.

Bruno flew backwards, the force of the kicks finally catching up to him. As he impacted the ground seemed to shake. Raphael transformed his weapon so that the claw like blades were drawn as he turned to the wolf Faunus on the stage. Only a few White Fang grunts remained, three on the stage with Vito and the rest getting mopped up by Bonitas. Raphael charged and jumped onto the stage, facing Vito. Two of the grunts by the wolf Faunus's side charged with weapons raised. Raphael transformed his weapon once again, but the blades remaind as the gun barrel extended from the back of the gauntlet. Raphael fired the gun to propel his strike at the oncoming White Fang.

As the three Faunus clashed the third grunt looked unsure as he held his rifle. "What are you doing?! Shoot him!" Vito snarled.

"But sir, if I shoot I might hit the others." The masked Faunus said.

"Fine, have it your way." Vito growled, before wrenching the rifle from the man and pushing him aside.

* * *

As Bonitas knocked away the final masked Faunus, he turned and saw the events happening on the stage. Vito was lining up a shot aimed at Raphael, who was too busy to notice. "No!" The old man yelled before running up onto the stage.

* * *

Raphael kicked the last of the Faunus grunt away before looking at Vito just in time to see the wolf Faunus pull the trigger on the gun aimed right at him. He didn't have time to activate his semblance, but didn't need to as Bonitas slammed into him, taking the shots from the gun. Time seemed to slow, but it wasn't Raphael's semblace as he watched Bonitas fall to the ground. Shock was quickly replaced with pure anger and rage as the boy roared in fury and charged at Vito. For the fist time the wolf Faunus had a look of fear as he attempted to shoot the oncoming teen, but Raphael's semblance was already active as he blurred around the bullets before reaching the man. He ripped apart the weapon before slashing out at Vito, leaving a gash on the mans left eye and flinging him back against the wall.

Raphael dashed to Bonitas's side, his anger replaced with concern. The old dog Faunus's clothes had splotches of blood that were rapidly spreading. Sounds of more men could be heard from behind the door in the back of the room. The teen quickly scooped up the old man and ran to the door from which they came, passing many injured Faunus laying on the ground. As they reached the entryway however the door at the back of the room burst open, and many more masked Faunus ran into the room, guns blazing. One shot hit Raphael in the leg, and the boy cringed in pain. He limped quickly down the hall and out the metal door into the dark alleyway, still holding the old man in his arms. Raphael looked around before limping down the dark ally, changing directions whenever he came across a intersection to try and throw off the perusing Faunus.

Finally the teen had to stop, the wight of the man and the pain from his leg becoming to much. He set Bonitas down carefully behind a large dumpster and knelt down next to him. Most of the old mans front was covered in blood, and he was loosing more fast. "No no no no," Raphael said as he frantically tried to stem the flow of blood with the newspapers scattered around him. Suddenly his arm was stopped, and he looked to see Bonitas holding him back. The old man shook his head as Raphael tried to hold back tears.

Then voices could be heard coming down the ally, including Vito's. "Nowhere to run boy! There no place I won't find you! I'm gonna find you, and I'm gonna kill you! Just like I did that old man of yours!" The voices passed, and Raphael turned back to Bonitas. The old Faunus pointed to a picture on one of the newspapers by him. The teen picked it up and saw that It was a picture of a castle like structure, and above it where the words; 'Beacon Academy, training the best fighters and warriors since before the dawn!'

Raphael nodded, still holding back tears. "I'll go there, and get stronger. I'll avenge your death."

Bonitas shook his head, pointing to the picture on the paper once again, then placing a finger on Raphael's heart. The old man could not speak, but he was able to mouth out what he needed to say; 'stay safe'. The mans arm went limp, and the light died from his eyes. Tears finally escaped Raphael's eyes, as he put his head onto the old mans lifeless chest. The boy had never had something to cry over, and he remained by Bonitas's side for the rest of the night.

* * *

_Name: Raphael Gepard_

_Weapons name: Kogot Vintovku_

_Semblance name: Agility_


	4. Iron trailer

_Last trailer! Thanks again to The Rouge King for using this character in his story. I did change her a bit since I submitted her, so there may be a few differences. Heres the last trailer; Iron_

* * *

The sun beamed down brightly on the large arena set in stone. The pit had many crumbling stone structures around its bottom, and the sun was directly overhead, so no shadows could be seen. Amongst these ruins stood a short girl. She had long wavy brown hair that was currently held back in a messy ponytail. Her copper eyes scanned the ruins that surrounded her, plotting out her next move. She wore a tan undershirt with a darker brown shirt covering it with two leather shoulder pads held by matching belts that cross on her chest. On her right arm she wore a metal elbow guard, while on her right she held a circular iron shield, the same color as her hair. She had cut denim shorts and a leather belt with two hip guards, one on each side, and wore strong leather combat boots.

Suddenly a voice could be heard, resonating though the arena out of speakers, "We're ready when you are Sam."

"Let em in!" The girl called. A clanking sound could be heard, and a hole opened up in the rocky wall of the arena on either side of the girl. Two Ursi charged through each of the openings before the doors closed behind them. The first pair spotted Sam before roaring and charging at her. The girl held her ground as the two Grimm neared, then rolled out of the way as a claw crashed down were she had been. She stood and slammed her shield into the Ursa's head, and the creature staggered back. The second creature charged head first at the girl, but she jumped and propelled herself of the Grimm's head, landing on one of the stone structures.

The creatures roared and slammed into the structure, shaking it. As the structure broke loose and began to fall Sam jumped onto one of the creatures backs and raised her shield. A blade extended from the side of the shield, opposite sam's elbow, and she plunged the blade into the back of the Ursa's neck. The Grimm collapsed, and the other Ursa's charged at Sam once again. She dodged away from the charge and righted herself to face the Grimm. The bear roared and slashed out with its claw, but the strike was met with the shield and glanced off it. Sam rolled under the Grimm and slashed upwards with the blade, cutting open its neck. She pushed the lifeless Ursa off her as its body went limp and looked around.

The girl heard a roar and saw the other two bears recklessly charging her. Sam retracted the blade and threw the shield at the oncoming creatures. The disk impacted on the closest Grimm's head, causing it fall and trip up the other creature. Both Ursi slid multiple feet towards Sam as her shield bounced of a few of the structures and back to her hand.

She waited for the creatures to regain their footing, wanting a fair fight. The closest creature swung its claw at the girl, but she jumped back. Sam raised her shield again, but instead of a single large blade, smaller, shorter blades extended all around the edge of the shield. The Ursi roared in anger and stood on its hind legs, trying to intimidate the girl. She threw her spiked shield, and the disk cut right through the Grimm, cutting it in two. The other Grimm growled angrily and charged forwards. The girl ran towards the Grimm as her shield bounced back to her arm and she slashed out with the edge of the shield, cutting off the arm of the bear. The creature roared in pain and slashed out with its other arm, but Sam ducked under the strike and slashed again, decapitating the Ursa.

As the creature collapsed the voice could again be heard through the arena. "Excellent work! We'll have the results in just-"

"Send in the next batch!" Sam called out angrily.

"Oh, uhh, of course." The voice said, and clanking could be heard again as the doors opened once more. But instead of a pair of Ursa appearing from each door, two King Taijitu entered the arena. The first of the two headed creatures slithered towards Sam, hissing menacingly. It reared its head and smashed its fangs into the ground, forcing the girl to jump backwards. As she landed, the other head of the snake struck, knocking her back.

Sam stood up off the ground to face the creature as it prepared to strike again. She retracted the small blades around the shied on her arm. The snakes first head struck, and Sam once again jumped to dodge the attack, but as the second black head tried to strike again she raised her shield, blocking the strike. The snakes fangs broke on the shield and it screeched in pain. The two heads lunged at Sam and she ducked behind one of the stone structures and ran away from the snake. The King Taijitu slithered across the floor in pursuit of the girl. Sam turned and threw her shield at one of the oncoming heads, but the snake ducked and the disk ricocheted out of sight.

As Sam turned to run behind another stone structure the head of the snake with broken fangs appeared in front of her. She turned to run the other direction but the second white snake head appeared behind her. The giant snake hissed as its two heads closed in on the girl, until a whistling sound could be heard. The snake cocked its two heads just as the round shield slammed into the black head, knocking out whatever remains of teeth it still had. Sam jumped and propelled off the stone structure, catching the shield and landing on the snake's black head. The large blade extended from the shield and she stabbed the creatures eye multiple times as it thrashed about in pain. Finally the black end of the Grimm ceased to thrash, and the head collapsed under the weight and pain from the girl.

As Sam pulled the shields blade from the snakes head another swooped down upon her, but as she dodged she saw that it was from the other King Taijitu. Three snake heads now faced her, all rearing to strike.

Sam ran and dodged around the many stones and rocks as she tried to avoid the three hissing heads that pursued her. As one head struck she hid behind another stone structure, only for another to smash through the stone, sending Sam and multiple boulders spiraling to the ground. One of the stones the size of a bowling ball flew straight at Sam, and as she activated her semblance she glowed amber and punched the rock, shattering it. She was still glowing as another snake head lunged towards her, and she grabbed a boulder twice her size and lifted it, smashing it into the Grimm's head.

The snake reared and shook itself, hissing at the glowing girl. The two other snake heads closed in on the girl, but she turned and slammed her fist into one of the taller structures behind her. The huge stone tipped and fell onto the single headed snake, trapping it. Sam extended the small blades all around the edge of her shield and threw it. The disk skidded across the ground before slicing through the trapped snake, separating the head from the body. The shield bounced off a few rocks and was about to return to Sam when she was slammed aside by another snake head. The shield bounced off the ground and stuck high on the rock wall of the arena.

Sam stopped glowing as she stood up to face the last two heads. She looked around at the stone structures, plotting out a path to her shield. The white snake head lashed out at the unarmed girl, but she jumped above the strike and ran along the creatures back. The other head lunged at the girl, but she glowed amber again and slammed her fist into the creature, knocking it down and propelling her up to the top of one of the structures.

The girl jumped from stone to stone as the snake tried to strike her. The creature crashed through the structures she stood on, trying to break her ground, but she was always one step ahead of the creature. She made the final jump onto the edge on the wall and wrenched her shield from the wall. The King Taijitu slammed its heads against the wall, causing it to shake and the ledge Sam stood on began to crumble. The girl scanned the structures and large Grimm beneath her before activating her semblance once more. She glowed as the ledge around her began to fall, and threw her shield. With her semblance enhancing the throw the disk sped through the air with incredible speed, leaving cracks in the stone as it ricocheted off the ruins. The snake Grimm's heads lunged at the girl on the falling the ledge, but the shield ricocheted of another rock and sliced both heads off the creature. The disk bounced and returned to Sam as the ledge she stood on slammed into the ground, and the body of the two headed snake collapsed around her.

Once again the sound of the speaker could be heard, this time applause ringing before the voice sounded again. "Well done! Simply excellent!"

Sam turned to the closest speaker on the wall. "Release more Grimm! I'm not done yet!" She said.

"B-but, there's no more. You've defeated all the ones we had." The voice replied, sounding nervous.

The short girl crossed her arms before speaking. "Fine. What's the stats?"

Sounds of paper and clicking could be heard before the voice sounded again. "You've killed fifteen Ursi, twenty two Beowolves, twelve Boarbatusk, and that pair of those snake things whose name I can't pronounce. All of that in just under two hours! I must say-"

"WHAT?!" Sam said, voice livid. "Two full hours?! I could've done it in one! Bring out more Grimm!"

"B-b-but, I already t-told you that we're out of Grimm!" The voice said fearfully.

"Fine! I'm leaving!" The small girl snarled before stomping to the door in the wall of the arena.

"O-of course" The voice said. "L-let me get the d-door for you." But before the man on the microphone could remotely open the door, Sam activated her semblance and slammed her fist into the manual control panel by the door. The panel shattered, and the metal doors slid open as Sam stormed out of the arena to give someone a piece of her mind.

* * *

_Name: Sam Tameng_

_Weapons Name: iron Scale_

_Semblance name: Strength _

_That's the last trailer! First chapter of the real story will be out next Wednesday and that's when I start the schedule of posting a new chapter each week. Thanks for reading!_

_(P.S. most of the characters that appear in this story will be none canon, except for the teachers and an occasional short appearance of some of the other characters from RWBY) _


	5. Chapter 1: New life, New light

_Here's the first chapter! I've already gotten a few followers before the story even began, so thanks and enjoy!_

* * *

The Vale airship docks were bustling with activity in the early morning. Men, women and children all went about their usual lives, going either to work or to school. One figure stood out among the rest, wearing a grey jacket and a green scarf on his shoulders, his clothes coated with a thin layer of dust and sand. Carter Dawnark stood in front of the flight notification board, holding a slip of paper in one hand while the other held a bag over his shoulder. The paper was an acceptance letter from Beacon academy, and had all the information to access the school, including the flight schedule. The flight number was thirty seven on the paper, and as Carter looked back up to the electronic board it also said thirty seven, the only problem was that Carter was completely lost in the vast airport. He would have asked for directions, but the people in the airport seemed far too busy. That is, until he heard a voice behind him.

"Carter?" The voice said. The teen turned to see a tall skinny boy with messy blond hair walking towards him.

"Yuan!" Carter said as the blonde got to him. Yuan was also holding a bag, and his weapons rested on his back.

"Heeeeyyyy!" The blonde boy said, embracing his friend. "What are ya doing here? I haven't seen you in forever!"

Carter held up the acceptance letter so Yuan could see. "Got accepted into Beacon!"

"What?! No way!" Yuan said before pulling a matching letter from his pocket. "Me too!"

"Awesome! Good for you!" Carter replied.

"Thanks man" Yuan said, punching him on the shoulder good naturally. A small cloud of dust rose up from Carter's dirty clothes. "Dude, you're filthy! What have you been doing, rolling around in the dirt?"

"You could say that," the brown haired boy responded as he tried to brush dust off his clothes. Then someone bumped into Carter, nearly knocking him over and causing him to drop his bag.

"Watch it!" The Faunus boy who had walked into him growled before stalking off, his cheetah ears flicking angrily. The boy wore a ripped leather jacked and a pair of heavy metal bracers.

"Geez, what's with him?" Yuan asked as he watched the boy disappear into the crowd.

"Dunno," Carter said as he picked up his bag. "Hey, do you know where the flight is?"

Yuan looked at the letter in his hand. "Flight thirty seven huh? I wouldn't know, this is the first time I've been here."

"Same," Carter said. "Maybe if we ask around we'll find another student who does know."

"Sure," Yuan responded. As the two looked around the crowd, music started playing by the far wall. "Maybe someone over there will know."

"Gotta start somewhere." Carter said, and the two boys walked through the crowd towards the music. Once they got to the scene they saw a small crowd surrounding a group of street performers playing various instruments, and at the center of it all danced a teenage boy. He had tan skin with blue hair and multicolored clothing. His metal boots reached up to his shins and looked mechanical in nature. As he danced he did various flips and spins, which brought cheers from the crowd and a small hat on the ground in front of him was rapidly filling with lien.

"Do you think _he_ knows?" Yuan asked.

"Maybe. But I don't think we have time to wait for him to finish." Carter responded, looking to a large clock mounted on the wall. "The flight leaves in pretty soon."

"Damn, we're never gonna find this flight!" Yuan said exasperatingly.

"G'day! You two wouldn't happen to be looking for the flight to Beacon, would ya?" A voice said behind the two. The boys turned to see a teen standing behind them. The boy wore a cowboy hat and mostly leather clothing. At his side were two holsters that held boomerangs, and across his chest was a cartridge belt holding different vials of dust.

"Yes, do you know where it is?" Carter asked.

"Aye mate!" The boy responded. "Name's Oliver Tie by the way. Looks like we'll be hunters in training together!" He said, shaking Carter's hand.

"Nice to meet you," Carter said as Oliver released his hand. "I'm Carter, and this is Yuan."

"Yo," Yuan waved his hand in hello before Oliver shook it as well.

"So you said you knew where the flight was?" Carter asked.

"Ah, right. Follow me!" And with that Oliver turned and walked off into the crowd. The two boys looked at each other with raised eyebrows before hefting their bags and following the exuberant boy. As they walked, Oliver spoke again. "So mates, what're your stories?"

"What do you mean?" Carter questioned.

"I mean how did ya get into Beacon? What'd you do beforehand?" Oliver said.

"I helped out in my family's dust shop." Yuan said. "It let me learn how to use dust, and I'm hoping I can get some money from being a hunter to help out my family."

"Sounds very noble!" Oliver said as he patted Yuan on the back before turning to Carter. "And what about you mate?"

"I've been... traveling." Carter responded vaguely. "For awhile."

"Very cryptic! I like it!" Oliver said enthusiastically. Yuan looked to Carter with his eyebrow raised, but before he could speak he walked right into someone in front of him. He fell to the floor, along with the girl he bumped into, and the stack of books she had been holding toppled to the ground.

"Ouch, sorry about that." Yuan said, rubbing his head.

"That's alright." The girl said. She had long ash colored hair and wore a green blouse and tan skirt with multiple clips on her side. On her back she had a small square shield that doubled as a sheath to a falchion. She was squinting and feeling on the ground like she was looking for something.

Before Carter could ask, he saw a pair of square glasses by his feet and picked them up. "Here," He said, handing the glasses to the girl.

"Ah, thank you!" The girl took the glasses and placed them over her eyes. She blinked rapidly before looking around. Oliver and Yuan had gathered her dropped books, and handed them back to her.

"Sorry again," Yuan said as he handed the girl her books. As he was giving her the stack however the topmost binder fell and opened as it landed. Inside was a variety of trading cards, each with a headshot of various different people. "Oh cool! You collect Hunter cards!" Yuan said as he picked up the metal binder.

The girl's eyes widened as she hastened to respond. "Umm actually no those are my sisters! I wouldn't ever play a game like that! That's just silly! It's for kids of course!" She tried to snatch the binder from Yuan but couldn't with her hands holding the large stack of books.

As she struggled another voice was heard fighting through the crowd towards them. "Sis? Siiiss? Where are you Kyla?" A girl appeared through the mass of people. She had ash colored hair just like the other girl, but wore it in two ponytails and had a little blue bow on her head. A blue ribbon was tied around her waist and she wore a light blue blouse and a white pair of pants. At her side were two pistol-like weapons. "There you are! C'mon, we're gonna be late!"

"Oh, hello Opal." The girl evidently named Kyla said. "I'll be right there!" And she tried to snatch the book again to no avail and sighed. Yuan had been too busy observing the different cards to notice Kyla's frantic attempts to retrieve the binder. "Umm. Excuse me?"

Yuan looked up from the cards. "Oh right, sorry. You said these belonged to your sister?" He asked, and started to hand the binder to the girl named Opal. "Here."

"Naw." Opal said, taking the binder. "Kyla's just too embarrassed about it to admit she collects them." And she promptly placed the binder at the top of her sisters stack of books.

"Umm, well, actually," Kyla stammered, hiding her face behind the books in her arm.

"Sorry to beak this up mates, but we better get a move on" Oliver said, pointing to the large clock. It was only a few minuets until the flight would leave.

"Shoot, we gotta go!" Carter said, and he hefted his bag before hurrying through the crowd, Yuan and Oliver in tow.

"C'mon c'mon c'mon!" Opal chanted, tugging at Kyla. "We've got to get to Beacon!"

"Right!" Kyla said, and both girls followed the boys towards the platform.

As the boys reached the platform, they saw the huge airship that was currently being boarded by various different hunters and huntresses in training.

Yuan saw the boy that had been dancing with the performers walking into the airship as well. "Great! Even he got here before us!" he exclaimed.

The boys turned as they heard Opal's voice again. "C'mon, bag drop off is over here!" They nodded to each other before following.

As Yuan and Oliver lifted their bags into a filling luggage compartment in the side of the ship, Carter began stowing his bag away in one of the less filled compartments. As he finished, Opal came and stood facing him, staring at him intently. "Umm, hello?" Carter said.

"Why are you wearing that jacket? Aren't you warm?" The girl asked.

Carter looked down to his coat before responding, "Oh, well actually-"

"And whats with the scarf? Have you been somewhere cold? But your clothes are all sandy! Were you wearing a jacket in the desert?" Opal streamed out questions to the boy, who wasn't quite sure what to do.

Then Kyla walked over to the pair and put her hand on her sisters shoulder. "Opal, let him be. Go see if that security guard knows when the flight leaves." She said.

"Okay!" Opal said happily before skipping off and pestering a guard with various questions.

"Sorry about that." Kyla began. "My sister can be a little... Much."

"That's alright. She seems nice," Carter responded, "My name's Carter, by the way." The boy said as he held out his hand.

"Mine's Kyla." She said as she shook the boys hand.

Then a voice blared over speakers in the platform they were on "ATTENTION! FLIGHT THIRTY SEVEN WILL BE DEPARTING FOR BEACON ACADEMY IN ONE MINUTE! ALL PASSENGERS PLEASE BOARD."

"We better get moving." Yuan said, walking up to Carter.

Kyla turned and called to her sister, "Opal! C'mon, its time to go!"

"Coming!" The girl in ponytails responded, and she skipped over to the group. As Oliver met up with them, the five made their way up the ramp to the ship just as it was closing. The massive ship rumbled beneath them as it came to life, and the wing-like appendages at its side lifted into the air. The engines blared, and the ship slowly lifted off the ground and slightly forwards, moving outside the massive hanger door at the side of the building. Carter looked out the window towards the slowly shrinking airport of Vale, then looked ahead towards the building at the top of the distant cliffs, wondering of what adventures were to come.

* * *

_Note: just to clarify, Oliver speaks in an austrailian accent, but since its the world of Remnant and not earth, I couldent put that in the text._

_Thanks for reading!_


	6. Chapter 2: Writers and romance

_Here's chapter two! This ones a little interesting, though I think it came out okay. Enjoy!_

* * *

The massive airship moved elegantly over the city of Vale in the late morning. It had only taken a few minuets for the airport to disappear from sight, and now the airship was picking up speed. Carter and the rest of the group walked through the ship, toward the main observation deck. Opal was currently tugging on Kyla, wanting to explore the vessel.

"C'mon!" Opal said. "Lets _gooooooo_!"

"We can't." Kyla responded. "We've got to meet up with the other students."

"But I wanna go look around the boat!" The girl whined as she let go of her sister.

"Opal, listen," Kyla began as she turned and continued down the hallway of the ship, "You and I both worked very hard to get our spots in this school, and we should not be spending our time absentmindedly wandering around this-"

"Umm." Yuan said, cutting Kyla off. "She's gone." He pointed to the pair of blond pigtails that were disappearing behind a corner.

"Oh shoot! I'll see you guys later!" Kyla called over her shoulder as she chased after her energetic sister.

"You think we'll see those two again?," Carter said as he watched Kyla disappear from sight.

"I hope so. Kyla was kinda cute." Yuan said, nudging his friend "Think I can get her number?"

Carter rolled his eyes. "No, I don't. And she doesn't exactly seem like your type."

"What d'ya mean?" Yuan asked. "Every girl's my type!"

"Suuuuree," Carter said as they entered the main area of the ship. The hallway-like area had windows along both sides, giving a beautiful view of the city below. Most of the other students were here; some were talking to each other while others kept to themselves.

"We'll, I'm off!" Oliver said, tipping his hat to the two other boys and walking towards the other students.

"Wait, where are you going?" Carter asked.

"Gotta go mingle!" Oliver responded, "Can never have too many friends!" And with that the boy disappeared into the crowd.

"Anyways," Yuan said, looking back to Carter, "Are you saying I couldn't get a girls number if I wanted?" He asked accusingly. "I bet I could get the number of the first girl I talk to!"

"I don't think that's the best idea." Carter responded. But Yuan had already left, and was currently walking towards a Faunas girl by one of the windows. She had long, red-orange hair and a pair of fox ears and a matching tail. She wore a green tank top with brown shorts, and had a brown band on her arm with a paw-like symbol on it. A black hooked whip and a red splotched pistol with a small blade on its handle hung at her side.

"Hey there," Yuan said, leaning up against the wall beside her.

"Hello?" The girl responded, raising her eyebrow at the boy.

"I like your tail," Yuan said, smiling.

"Thanks..." The Faunus responded, clearly annoyed with the boy. Carter was just far enough away to hear the conversation; he silently face palmed and shook his head.

"So, you got a name, Foxy?" Yuan asked.

The girls ears flicked back in annoyance at the nickname, but she answered anyway. "Rowan. Rowan Cameleo."

"Cool name!" Yan said, smiling. "Mine's Yuan."

"That's nice." The Faunus responded, looking back out the window.

Yuan persisted, "So, your a Beacon student right? Well so am I! We have a lot in common! You've got a tail, I like tails," The girls' fox ears were now flat on her head in annoyance. "I fight Grimm, you fight Grimm. So how about you and I go out sometime?"

"I don't think that's going to work." The Faunus said.

"Why not?" Yuan asked, his smile fading.

"Because, I'm sure your a relatively nice person, but I'm not interested." The girl said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go." And she turned and walked away.

Yuan walked back to Carter, shoulders sagged. "That went well," Carter said, trying to suppress a smile.

"Second girl." The blonde boy said. "I bet I could get the second girls' number I talk to."

"I don't think your gonna get any other-" Carter began, but Yuan had already left once again. The girl he was walking towards had long black hair and colorful, glittery clothing. She had tall high heeled boots and was texting rapidly on a Scroll in her hands.

"Hey there," Yuan said, leaning up against the wall beside the girl exactly as he had done with Rowan.

The raven haired girl didn't respond, as she was too busy texting. She didn't even seem to notice the boy.

"Umm, hello?" Yuan tried again, waving his hand in front of the girls' Scroll.

The girl blinked in surprise and stopped texting long enough to look up. "Hmm? Oh, hey! I didn't see you there!" she said.

Yuan waved his hand dismissively "Naw, it's fine. I-"

"OMG!" The girl exclaimed suddenly, cutting Yuan off. "Are you going to Beacon too?"

"Why, yes I am." Yuan said, smiling. "I'm actually one of the best-"

"Omygosh! You HAVE to take a selfie with me!" She said, flailing her Scroll.

"Umm, okay?" Yuan said before being dragged next to the girl as she took a picture of herself and the boy.

"Perfect!" She said after looking at the picture. "What do you think?" The girl asked, showing the Scroll to Yuan.

The blonde boy tried to hide his grimace, and barely glanced at the picture before speaking. "It's great! As I was saying-"

"Oh! I know!" The girl said, interrupting Yuan once more. "Lets trade Scroll numbers so we can keep in touch!"

"Umm, sure, sounds great," Yuan responded, pulling out his Scroll. His model appeared older, and had a large crack on its screen.

"My name's Veronica by the way," the girl babbled on as she touched her Scroll to Yuan's. The machines flashed and beeped at the contact, and automatically registered each other. "Bye-bye!" she said, before turning back to the window and texting on her Scroll once more.

"Uh, bye, I guess." Yuan said, but the girl had stopped noticing him. The boy turned and walked back to Carter, smirking as he walked. "Told you I could get it," He said to Carter as he showed the number on his Scroll.

"I'm not sure if that counts," Carter said.

"Why not?" Yuan asked.

"Because I'm pretty sure she's been doing that with everyone." Carter said, pointing back to Veronica. She was currently trading numbers with a dark haired boy.

"Damn." Yuan said, his shoulders slumping.

"Maybe next time," Carter said as he patted his friend on the back.

Suddenly a voice spoke directly behind the boys, "Pardon me, but I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. Perhaps I can be of assistance?" Both turned to see a tall boy standing behind them. He wore a light grey coat with a fur collar and leather gloves. He had silvery hair with a small curl, and a folded-up halberd on his back.

"Umm, who are you?" Yuan asked.

"Ah, of course! I forgot to introduce myself! William Barnaby, at your service," the boy said with a deep bow. "Writer and hunter in training extraordinaire!"

"Nice to meet you," Carter said. "I'm Carter and this is-"

"Wait, wait, wait," Yuan interrupted. "You can help me? How?"

Carter threw Yuan an annoyed glance as William responded. "I just so happen to be an expert on romance. You may have read some of my books, such as 'Dust to Love' or 'The Princess and the Hunter' or perhaps 'Beauty and the Beowolf', just to name a few"

"Never heard of em,'" Yuan said.

"Yes, most people haven't," William said, sighing. "I've been looking for the perfect story, and I thought perhaps becoming a hunter might inspire me!" he said, perking up a bit.

Yuan scratched his chin in thought "Well, I'm already an expert on girls," He said, causing Carter to roll his eyes. "So it's not like you can give me any advice... but you did say you were a writer..." Suddenly his eyes lit up as an idea struck him.

"Uh-oh." Carter said. "I know that look. What are you plotting?"

"Plotting? I don't know what your talking about." Yuan said, indignantly. "All I've done is found my new wingman!" he announced, throwing his arm over William's shoulder.

"I beg your pardon?" William asked, confused.

"Alright, here's the way I see it." Yuan started. "You need to find a new story, and I need to get a girlfriend, so the clear thing to do is to work together!"

"I'm not sure I follow," William said.

"I'll break it down for you," Yuan said. "You're a writer, and you write romance novels and all that, right?" William nodded. "Well, chicks dig all that mushy romance stuff, so with my natural charm and your books, I'll land a date in no time!"

"That sounds fine, but if I may ask, what do I stand to gain in all this?" William asked.

"I'm glad you asked!" Yuan replied. He seemed to be on a roll. "What better way to write the perfect romance story, than to be in a romance yourself!"

William's eyes lit up as well, "Yes, I can see it now! This will make for a perfect novel! When shall we start?" he asked.

"There's no time like the present!" Yuan said enthusiastically, and the two turned and walked off towards the collection of students.

Carter was left to shake his head in disbelief at the events that had taken place before him. "This ought to be good." He said as he watched the pair of boys search for their targets.

He saw Yuan point to two girls talking to each other towards the back of the ship. One of them was muscular, and wore metal armor on her arms, legs, and chest. She had short, blonde hair and wore a tan combat skirt. The second girl appeared much shorter, but Carter couldn't tell as she was out of view behind the first. As he moved closer to hear the conversation, the girl came into view, and he recognized her almost instantly. Sam Tameng, a famous prodigy, and winner of the minstrel region three years in a row, a new record. He had only caught glimpses of her occasionally on the news, which he rarely watched, so this was the only time he had ever really seen her. And as soon as he laid eyes on her, he instantly fell for her.

Yuan leaned up against the wall next to the girls, William standing beside him. "Hello ladies." The blonde boy said.

"Umm, hello." The girl in armor said, looking to the two boys curiously. "Can we help you?" "Why yes, actually, you can!"

Yuan said. "The name's Yuan. And you may already know this fine gentleman," he said, motioning to William.

"William Barnaby, at your service." The silver haired boy said a he bowed.

"And what might your names be?" Yuan asked.

"Tiffany Kuwat." The blonde girl in armor said.

"I'm Sam. Sam Tameng." The shorter girl said.

Williams' eyes widened while Yuan remained clueless. "Wait, THE Sam Tameng?" The the silver haired boy said in surprise. "I had no idea a celebrity such as yourself would be attending Beacon!"

"Whoa whoa, slow down," Yuan said. "You're a celebrity?"

"I suppose," Sam said.

"Well I just so happen to be pretty famous myself." Yuan said, flexing one of his arms.

"Really?" Sam said, eyebrow raised.

"Yes, really." Yuan said. "So, considering we're both famous, I figure we should hang out. How does Friday night sound, shorty?"

Sam's entire body tensed up at the pet name. "What did you just call me?" She said through gritted teeth.

"Shorty." Yuan said, completely oblivious. "Ya know, 'cause your so sho-"

Sam grabbed him by the color and wrenched him down to her face level, which was quite a distance considering the height difference. "Don't. Ever. Call. Me. Short." She said furiously. "Understand?" Yuan nodded fearfully, his confident demeanor completely gone.

Meanwhile William was having his own troubles. "So, my dear," he said to Tiffany as Yuan and Sam began to talk. "Have you perhaps read any of my books?"

"Something tells me I haven't." She responded.

"Well perhaps you've heard of them then! Some of my most famous works include 'The Huntress and the Pea' and 'The Dusty Road to Beacon'"

"Never heard of em," Tiffany said. "Well then my dear, today is your lucky day!" William said exuberantly.

"Stop calling me that," Tiffany said, arms crossed in annoyance. "And _how_ is it my lucky day?"

"Well," William began, "how better to become aquatinted with my work than to be part of it yourself! You see, my dear, I'm particularly known for my romantic stories and poems, but I am without any romance myself! A tragedy, I know, but one not without hope! You, my dear, could be my new inspiration! What would you say to that?"

"I would say...no."

"N-no?" William stammered, surprised. "Whatever do you mean?"

"I just don't like romance. And to be perfectly honest, you're kinda creeping me out a bit," she said, before turning away from the dumbstruck writer. Sam was just finishing up with Yuan as she spoke. "C'mon Sam, lets go. The ship's going to land soon."

"Gladly." Sam said as she released Yuan and stormed after Tiffany. Carter walked over to the boys. "That was...interesting,"

he said. "Shut up." Yuan said, rubbing his neck. "How was I supposed to know she would freak out at me?"

William was still standing where Tiffany had left him, the same lost look on his face. "This...this _feeling_..."

"It's called rejection," Yuan said. "You'll get used to it."

"Rejection..." William said slowly. "I've never felt this way before... this burning in my heart... I... I love it!" He said, suddenly exited. "So _emotional_! Such pain in my heart! I've done it! I've finally found my inspiration! I must begin right away!" And he pulled out a small notebook and began scribbling frantically into it.

Carter and Yuan looked at each other with eyebrows raised. "There goes your new wingman," Carter said.

"Nah, it would have never worked out anyway." Yuan said.

Suddenly a small hologram of a woman wearing purple clothing and glasses appeared on the windows and spoke. "Hello, and welcome to Beacon! My name is Glynda Goodwitch."

"Totally prerecorded," Yuan whispered to Carter.

"You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy!" The hologram continued. "Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world." The hologram disappeared, clearing the window. Carter now saw how far the airship had traveled, and he saw Beacon Academy at the top of a huge cliff, with small waterfalls cascading down to the water below.

"Hey," Carter said, tapping William on the shoulder. "Airship's about to land."

"Hmm? Ah yes!" The writer said, snapping the notebook shut. "I must go to find her once more!"

"Who, Tiffany? She rejected you, remember?" Yuan said.

"Yes, I do!" William said. "But that is why I must find her! She has made me feel like I never have before! Her eyes sparkle like stars, yet they bored into my soul like drills! I must go!" And he hurried of towards the exit of the ship as it began to slow. The other students also began to travel towards the exit, and finally the ship came to a stop next to the round platform.

"Bored like drills? What's that supposed to mean?" Yuan questioned.

"And I thought you were bad." Carter chuckled as he began to walk towards the exit.

"Oh, shut up." Yuan said as he joined him.

* * *

_Thanks for reading!_


	7. Chapter 3: Collectors Cards

_Here's chapter three! Sorry its going out a little late, Enjoy!_

* * *

The many students bustled out of the docked airship onto the circular platform as the doors opened. Carter and Yuan walked over the ramp onto the crowded walkway leading up to Beacon.

Yuan gave a low whistle. "Man, check out that view." He said, looking to the huge academy.

"Yeah, its amazing." Carter said, but other than that he was lost for words.

"Can you believe we made it though?" Yuan said as the two began the walk down the long path leading up to the academy. "It feels like just yesterday we were in primary school together."

"Dreaming of becoming hunters," Carter said. "Those were the good old days." The academy continued to grow in size as the boys approached, then they came upon a peculiar sight.

"Hey, look. It's that guy again." Yuan said, pointing. Indeed, the boy that they had seen earlier dancing at the Vale docks was there on the side of the path, a blaring radio beside him as he danced. A small crowd of Beacon students had gathered around him, including...

"Oliver!" Carter called."Ah, hey mates!" Oliver said, turning to the two boys as they approached. "Come to see the performance?" It was then that they also saw the Faunus standing beside Oliver, who had turned to see them as well.

"Oh, umm, hello... Your name was Rowan, right?" Yuan said. The girls' ears flicked in annoyance as she saw the boy.

"Yes. And you said your name was Yuan, if I'm correct?"

"Yeah..." Yuan said, trying not to look the girl in the eyes.

"So, how do you two know each other?" Carter said, trying to ease the tension.

"We just met on the ship actually," Oliver said. "She said she was looking for someone decent to talk to her after some guy hit in her, so I happily obliged."

"Ah." Carter said, glancing to Yuan, who was whistling nonchalantly.

"And how did you two become acquainted?" Oliver asked Yuan.

"Umm," Yuan said, scratching the back of his neck. "We met on the ship too... but that's about it," he finished, glancing at Rowan, who had her eyebrow raised.

"Excellent! Well I'm glad we all know each other then!" Oliver said. The small crowd around the dancing boy had begun to disperse, as he was currently packing up.

"We better get moving." Carter said, "I think we're supposed to be meeting up somewhere."

"Hold up one sec," Yuan said. "I wanna meet this guy." And he walked over to the dancer. "Hey, those were some pretty sick moves."

"Thanks bro!" The tan boy responded in a surfer-like accent. "And a few extra lien you got would be appreciated! Gotta make a livin', am I right?" he said, holding out a hat.

"Uhh," Yuan check his pockets, but came up with nothing.

"Here," A voice said, and a boy who had left the crowd dropped a few lien into the hat. He had brown hair and wore a blue hoodie, with a sheath of black arrows resting on his back. "I'll pitch in."

"Thanks dude!" The dancer said, while Yuan looked relieved. The boy in the hoodie nodded and started walking towards Beacon. "Hey, wait up bro!" The tan boy said, picking up his radio and running up beside him. "You got a name, man?"

The brown haired boy turned to the dancer. "Its Norem."

"Cool, mine's Chad!" The tan boy said. "Hey, could I hang with you bro? I get lost a lot."

"Sure" Norem said, shrugging.

"Awesome bro! Lets go!" Chad said, pressing play on his radio and slinging it over his shoulder so that it blared around him.

"Could you turn that down a bit?" Norem asked as he began to walk.

"Sure thing bro." Chad said, turning down the volume a bit, but the music could still be heard as they walked away.

"We better get going too," Carter said. "I think the ceremony is about to begin." And he and Yuan along with Oliver and Rowan continued down the path. They passed through the courtyard, with a large statue of a huntress and a hunter at its center. Trees lined the path, along with small man-made ponds. They followed some of the other students to the huge circular amphitheater, its giant doors open to the students bustling inside.

"Man, is it just me, or is everything here either ridiculously huge or ridiculously fancy?" Yuan said, marveling at the buildings.

"No, I noticed it too." Carter responded, looking around as they passed through into the amphitheater. Oliver and Rowan simply nodded in agreement as they looked around in amazement.

The large building was packed with students; all of the seats in the stands above them were taken, leaving only the area in front of the stage to stand. As they continued towards an open space in the crowed, Carter was too busy looking at the holographic displays above the stage to notice the Faunus boy he walked into.

"Oh, sorry about that." Carter said, righting himself and looking at the boy who had fallen to the ground. It was then that he realized that it was the same Faunus who had bumped into him earlier at the airship docks. "Here," and he held out his hand to help the boy up.

But the Faunus just slapped the hand away and got to his feet on his own. "I don't need your help," he growled.

"Hey, I said I was sorry!" Carter said, eyebrows furrowing. "What more do you want?"

The Faunus took a step forwards as if to attack Carter, but was stopped abruptly at the sound of a clearing throat at the microphone. The students turned to see the headmaster of Beacon, Ozpin, standing at the microphone. Glynda Goodwitch also stood on the stage beside the man.

"Welcome." The headmaster began. "You have all worked and trained your entire life to protect this world from those that would do it harm. In this school you hope to learn new skills, or perhaps strengthen the ones you already have. Each of you have a story to tell, and while you are here, it may be considered a 'new chapter' in your life, if you will. And in this chapter, you will either become a step up above the rest, or fall below to start again. In the end, it is up to you to choose."

After finishing his speech Ozpin turned and walked off the stage, and Glynda walked up to the mic. "You will gather in the ballroom tonight, and will find your luggage from the ship in the lockers at the armory. Your locker number and combination have been sent to your Scrolls. Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed." The students began to mill about once more, leaving the building.

Carter looked around after the women had finished speaking, but the Faunus boy had disappeared.

"So that was the famous Ozpin." Oliver said.

"Seems like a pretty cryptic guy." Yuan said, pulling out his Scroll and checking the locker number sent by the Academy. "C'mon, I want to got get some of my stuff." And the group of four left the amphitheater and headed towards the armory, via a map sent by the Academy on their Scrolls.

* * *

As they entered the armory, they saw that it appeared more as a locker room. Lockers stood around the edge of the rooms, and benches stood alongside the pillars that held up the roof. "What's your guys's locker numbers?" Carter asked, taking out his Scroll.

"I got number..." Yuan began, checking his Scroll. "238."

Carter brought up the message from the school. "Cool, I've got 237!"

"Looks like I'm pretty close as well mates." Oliver said, his Scroll in hand. "How 'bout you Rowan?"

"I'm pretty far away." She said, looking at the small device in her hand. "I gotta go get some of my stuff anyways, so Ill see you around."

"Later!" Oliver said, waving to the Faunus leaving the boys. As the three of them found the way to their lockers, Oliver turned to Yuan. "So what did you say earlier about cards? Kyla had them, right?"

"Yeah, here." Yuan said, entering the combination and opening his locker. "Wow, these things are roomy," he said as he rummaged through the locker until finally bringing out a small leather binder. "Check this out." And he opened the binder to reveal pages upon pages of trading cards. Some of the cards had weapons, others had different types of Grimm, while more had famous hunters on them.

"Wow, look at em all." Oliver said. "You sure collect a lot. How many do you have?"

"Just a couple hundred in this book, but I've got another few binders at home." Yuan responded, flipping through the pages. "Here, I'll show you some." And he pulled out a few cards from the book. "These are some of my favorites. The most famous hunters get their own cards made after them, like Summer Rose," Yuan held up a card with a white cloaked figure. "She's got insane attack power. I've also got Daniel Tameng," he said, bringing up another card.

"Wait, like Sam Tameng?" Carter asked.

"Ohhhhh" Yuan said, realization dawning on his eyes. "I knew I heard her name somewhere. I just couldn't remember!" Carter rolled his eyes as his friend continued. "Those two we saw earlier, Ozpin and Goodwitch; each have their own cards as well." He then pulled out a collection of cards, all the hunters on them appearing related through short blond hair. "I've even got the entire Arc lineage, though it took me forever to collect the whole set. All of them have a massive health boost" He put the cards away as he explained them, until only one remained. "This one's my favorite. He's got some of the most insane stats, and even has this special ability to one-shot any Grimm!" And he showed the boys the last card in his hand. The man on it was rather burly, but he wasn't nearly as burly as his grey mustache. At the top of the card was the title 'Peter Port'.

"Isn't he one of our professors?" Oliver asked.

"What?!" Yuan exclaimed, suddenly excited. "Is he? Do you think he would autograph my golden series card?"

"I don't know, maybe." Carter responded. "I bet he tells the greatest war stories!" Yuan said. "I've got like fifteen of his cards!" He was too exited to notice the two teens walking up behind him. Carter on the other hand saw them coming, and looked over to them. The first of the boys was tall, and his right arm and leg where armored. He wore a purple jacket under the armor, with similar color hair, and he had dark grey eyes. The second boy was dressed all in black, from his trench coat to his jeans. Even his messy hair was black, and he wore rimless glasses over his blue eyes.

"Well well well, what do we have here?" The first boy asked, snatching the binder from Yuan's grasp. "Are you losers actually playing this stupid card game?"

"Oy!" Yuan exclaimed, spinning around to face the boy. "Give it back!"

"Why don't you take it from me?" The boy asked, smiling. The boy beside him smirked as well.

Yuan took a step forwards, but was stopped as Carter put a hand on his shoulder. "We don't want any trouble." Carter said.

"Speak for yourself." Yuan said, shrugging the hand off.

"If you wanted it that badly, you should've just asked." The first boy said, dropping the binder to the ground, but not before pulling one of the cards from the book. "Names Emmet, by the way. This is Nyte." He gestured to the boy at his side. "I didn't expect to see weaklings like you make it into this school." He said, looking back to the boys.

"Wouldn't have thought jerks like you made it either." Yuan said coldly as he picked up his binder.

Emmet's eyes narrowed. "I'm the best this school has ever seen, so don't try and act all tough. I won't hesitate to beat you down." He turned and began walking away, but stopped. "Oh, here's your card back." And his hand glowed faint purple before a small bolt of electricity surged through the card, burning it to ash. Emmet dropped the flakes as he and Nyte walked away laughing.

"I could have taken him." Yuan said angrily as he dusted off the binder.

"And you would only have gotten in trouble." Carter said.

"Yeah, don't let him get to ya, mate." Oliver said. "We better get our stuff, its gonna get late soon." He said, checking the time. The boys grabbed their sleeping gear and stowed their weapons into their lockers before heading to the ballroom.

* * *

The large room was packed with students and sleeping-bags, leaving barely enough room for the boys to find a space of their own. As Carter set up for the night, he saw many of the students he had met earlier. Kyla and Opal where setting out sleeping-bags at the other end of the hall, the latter waving frantically at Carter. As he waved back, he saw Chad with headphones, probably listening to music, and Norem looking happy not to have to listen to it. Towards the stairs Rowan and Sam were talking as they lay on the floor among the other students. Then Carter saw two more students, one appearing to try and escape from the other.

"But, you are my inspiration my dear!" William said, wearing pajamas with little pens and books on them.

"Okay, two things." Tiffany said, hopping over another student as evaded the writer. "One, stop following me. And two, stop calling me that!"

"But we're going to be part of the best romantic tale since Romeo and Juliet!" William said.

"What's with him?" Oliver asked, motioning toward the pair.

"We have no idea." Yuan replied as he wriggled into his sleeping-bag. Oliver shrugged and got into bed as well, and soon Carter did the same. It had been a long day, and he was soon drifting of into sleep, unaware of how his life was about to change.

* * *

_Note: next chapter might be a bit short, just as a warning._

_thanks for reading!_


	8. Chapter 4: Next Chapter to Life part 1

_Hey guys, so I apologize in advance, this chapter is _very _short. Which is why I'm posting it a day early to try and make up for it! Next chapter is still wendesday, though it will be the start of some long awaited action! Enjoy!_

* * *

Beams of morning sunlight shone through the windows of Beacons ballroom as the day began. One of these light beams passed over Carter's closed eyes, waking him from sleep. He sat up, stretching and blinking sleep out of his eyes. He looked around to see other students already up and moving around, readying for the day. Oliver was nowhere to be seen, apparently already awake. Yuan on the other hand was still sleeping nearby, a trickle of drool running from his open mouth.

Carter stood and silently packed his things, trying not to wake his friend. With his sleeping bag rolled up he left the ballroom and took a much needed shower, washing all the dust and sand from his journey to Vale. After getting dressed he left for the dining hall, only to find Oliver and Rowan sitting at one of the tables. "Morning" Carter said as he sat opposite the two, who had cups of coffee in front of them.

"G'day" Oliver said, tipping his hat before he took a sip of his drink. "Where's Yuan?"

"Still sleeping" Carter responded. "Hey, umm, where did you..." He pointed to the coffee in Oliver's hand.

Oliver chuckled before motioning towards a buffet at the back of the room, on which a variety of breakfast foods was being served, including fresh hot coffee. "I'd be much obliged if ya could grab me some food mate." Oliver said.

"Sure" Carter said as he left the table. Beacon clearly had quite a few skilled chefs working there, and Carter stacked a tray full of a little bit of everything. Eggs, bacon, buttered toast, and pancakes where just a few of the delicious looking foods. Carter also grabbed two coffees, the extra for when Yuan awoke. As he turned and began heading back to the table however, he stopped dead in his tracks. Sam sat at the table, chatting with Rowan. "_Get ahold of yourself._" Carter thought. "_Just be cool._" And he continued to the table. "Breakfast is served!" He said, putting the tray down.

"Thanks mate!" Oliver said, taking some toast from the pile. Rowan nodded her thanks as well, taking an apple and biting into it.

"Thanks. I don't believe we've met." Sam said, holding out her hand. "I'm Sam."

Carter stuttered for a moment, "I... Ummm... I'm Carter..." He finally said, shaking the girls hand.

"Man, I'm starving!" Sam said, enthusiastically snatching up a few pancakes and pilling them onto her plate.

Carter continued to eat, until he heard a voice behind him. "Mornin'"Yuan said, looking still half asleep.

"Welcome back the land of th' livin' mate!" Oliver said. Yuan sat next to Carter before being handed his coffee. He mumbled his thanks as he took a drink, and he seemed to wake up a little.

At last his eyesight cleared, and he finally saw Sam sitting across from him, eyebrow raised. "Aaaah!" The blond boy exclaimed as he fell backwards, trying to scramble away from the girl. A small smile flashed across Sam's face before she regained her composure.

"Here, c'mon" Carter said as he helped Yuan up. The blonde boy sat back at the table, this time farther away from Sam.

Oliver chuckled, "She won't bite mate."

"No promises" Sam said, taking a hefty bite out of an apple and smirking. Yuan made a noise that sounded like a mouse being stepped on and hid behind Carter. Soon the rest of the students had entered the dinning hall, including Tiffany, who looked well rested and rather chipper. She took a seat next to Sam and gladly took some offered food. "Where's that guy that kept following you?" Sam asked after looking around.

"Who, the creep?" Tiffany asked. "I locked him in a closet."

"This morning?" Carter asked.

"Last night." Tiffany responded. "It was actually quite easy."

"Arn't ya gonna let him go?" Oliver asked.

"Oh, I will." Tiffany said, a slightly evil look crossing her face. "After initiation." When the group finished breakfast, they left the dining hall and headed for the armory.

As the six students walked through the halls however, they came across a closed closet, and by the sounds of it someone was banging on the door from the inside. "Is that..." Carter turned to Tiffany.

"I say leave him." She said, continuing down the hallway.

Rowan and Sam continued as well, evidently not wanting to deal with William. "We'll meet up with you later." Rowan said as they turned a corner.

Oliver turned and opened the door, and William spilled out of it. The writer dusted himself off as he stood up. "Thank you so much my friends! You have no idea how difficult it is to get a good nights sleep in a closet." Carter looked behind William to see a poorly made bed fashioned out of mops and towels. "Have you by any chance seen the lovely Tiffany recently?" he asked.

"You just missed her." Yuan said, motioning down the hallway.

"Then I must be after her!" William exclaimed, starting down the hall.

"I don't think thats the best idea mate" Oliver said.

"Love is no idea my friend! It is a feeling from the depths of the heart!" The writer called as he made it to the end of the hallway. "Which way did you say she went?" He asked.

"That way." Yuan said, pointing to the exact opposite direction the girls had gone.

"Then that way I go!" William said, running down the hallway, still in his pajamas.

Carter, Yuan, and Oliver finally found their way to the armory. As Carter made his way to his locker, he saw the the one directly next to it was being used by none other than the cheetah Faunus from before. Carter sighed. "Great. Just great," he mumbled.

The Faunus clearly heard him, and turned growling. "What do you want?"

"Just getting my stuff," Carter responded, moving past the boy to his locker.

Realization dawned on the Faunus as he saw how close the lockers were, and he growled again. "Don't get in my way." He said as he slammed his locker and stalked off.

"I really don't like that guy." Yuan said, retrieving his weapon from his own locker.

"Maybe he's got a reason for his anger." Oliver said, holstering his boomerangs at his side. "Could have personal troubles."

"Maybe," Carter said, thinking. He had no intention of getting on the Faunus's bad side, and if the boy did have anger issues he would gladly keep his distance.

His thoughts were interrupted as a voice blared over the speakers above their heads. "All first-year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation. Again, all first-year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately."

"C'mon, let's get a move on," Oliver said.

"This is gonna be awesome!" Yuan exclaimed as Carter retrieved his pistols. After the three boys were ready, they headed off towards the cliffs outside the academy.

* * *

Wind howled at the top of the cliffs that overlooked the forest below. Most of the sky was blue except for a few dark clouds. The first year students all stood in a line at the edge of the huge drop off, each standing on a square silver platform. In front of the students stood Ozpin, along with Glynda Goodwitch. The headmaster took a sip of his drink before he began. "For many years you have trained to become hunters, and today, your abilities will be tested in the Emerald Forest."

"Today each of you will be given teammates," Glynda Goodwitch said.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon," Ozpin continued. "So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone whom you can cooperate with." A few of the students looked to each other, including Carter and Yuan. "That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years." There were a few surprised murmurs; the students were clearly not expecting this. "After you've partnered up, make your way to the eastern end of the forest. On your way you will find that this forest contains far more than just trees and bushes, so make sure to be on your guard, or you will die." Wind continued to howl as the headmaster continued. "You will be monitored and graded throughout the initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple containing several relics, and each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. You will guard that item to the best of your ability, and be graded appropriately. Are there any questions?"

No hands were raised. "That's a first." Glynda muttered, working on her scroll.

"Good! Now, take your positions." Ozpin said.

The students readied themselves. Sam had her shield out and looked determinedly out into the forest. Opal was jumping up and down in excitement, while Kyla tried to calm her down. William was busy writing something in his journal. Rowan swished her tail in anticipation. Emmet looked almost bored, acting like had hadn't even heard the instructions. Norem was silently crouched, ready to begin. Chad, on the other hand, was dancing on top of his platform excitedly. Carter was towards the beginning of the platforms, and saw Tiffany get launched into the sky towards the forest.

Oliver was next, and he tipped his hat to Carter. "Good luck mate!" He called, as he was launched off as well.

"Woohoo!" Yuan shouted as his platform shot him into the sky. Carter was next, he could feel the springs loading under him one second, and then the next he was jettisoned into the air, flying through the sky. The initiation had begun.

* * *

_Thanks for reading, see ya next chapter!_


	9. Chapter 5: Next Chapter to Life part 2

_Here's the next chapter! It's been awhile since I've written any action sequences, so I really enjoyed writing this chapter. Enjoy! _

* * *

Wind howled over the treetops of the Emerald Forest, rustling the leaves and scattering them onto the wind. A small bird was perched on one of the highest branches of the trees, watching as the sun hung in the sky. Then something caught the birds attention, and it looked to see a few dozen dots approaching from the sky. As the dots grew the bird saw they each where different colors, and as they grew closer still they appeared to take form. The bird screeched and fluttered away as it finally saw the students rocketing towards the treetops.

As Carter neared the ground the wind was rushing around him and his heart was racing. He tucked his legs under himself and activated his semblance as he reached the treetops. His body glowed green and he became like a statue barreling towards the forest. He smashed through branches and entire trees until he impacted onto the ground, bounced once, twice, then skidded to a stop.

The boy deactivated his semblance and stood up, dusting himself off. He had left a large gouge in the ground where he landed, and a swath of downed trees showed the path of his arrival. Overhead he heard more students flying above him, and he ran off into the forest depths.

* * *

Above the trees Rowan fell towards the ground, a few other students flying along as well. She saw a tree as she neared the ground, and unhooked her whip from her side. As she got to the tree she swung the hooked end Into one of the branches, latching onto it. Still holding on, the whip tugged and wrapped around the branch until it reached its end, with the Faunus landing onto the brach with ease. She quickly unwrapped her weapon from the branch before jumping into the treetops.

As she dashed through the thick overgrowth and dodged around the trees, she heard more students around her in the forest with her fox ears. She stopped when she heard another voice that was rapidly approaching, and by the sounds of it the voice sounded quite joyful. Suddenly Rowan jumped back as someone crashed through the branches exclaiming "Yeee Haww!" And continued to the ground. A familiar looking hat was caught on the branches at the hole in the trees, and Rowan grabbed it as she made her way to the forest floor. Oliver was dusting off the leaves and twigs stuck to him as the Faunus landed a short distance behind him. He turned to face the girl, smiling, "G'day!"

"You dropped something." Rowan said, smiling as well as she tossed the hat to the boy.

"Thanks," Oliver said, fixing the hat onto his head. The sounds of more students could be heard around them. "We best get going then!" Oliver said. Rowan nodded, and the two hurried off into the forest.

* * *

This was it. Yuan was ready. He was going to become a hunter, and help his family repair the shop. All he had to do was land, it was too easy. In fact, he already had the perfect dust crystal to use at a time like this. Sword in hand Yuan reached into his leather bag for the- "Wait, what?" Yuan said, checking the bag again. It was gone. The air crystal was gone. Now the boy began to panic. "No no no!" He said as he began to near the ground. He thoroughly checked his leather bag and began pulling out crystals. A purple crystal, "No." A red crystal, "Definitely not." He tossed the crystal behind him, sending a gout of flame into the trees. He pulled out a blue crystal next. Then an idea struck him as he saw a small pond approaching. He was almost touching the treetops now as he put the blue crystal into the sword. He transformed his weapon into the staff form and activated his semblance. The blue crystal glowed in the staff as he neared the pond. He swung the staff upwards, and a torrent of water erupted from the pond, catching the boy and cushioning his fall. Yuan fell downwards into the body of water with a splash. "_I guess that counts as an easy landing_" he thought before swimming back to the surface.

* * *

The small bird from the treetops had fluttered down onto one of the rare large boulders that scattered the forest. It was currently preening itself, unaware of the danger rapidly approaching. It barely had time to screech and flee its perch once again as a short glowing girl smashed through the boulder, shattering the rock. Sam stood up and looked around, shield in hand. She deactivated her semblance as she hurried to a tall tree and climbed up it, landing on a limb that overlooked the forest around her. A small pond was nearby, and she saw more students descending into the forest. She surveyed the students until she found who she was looking for. There was Tiffany, nearing the treetops. If Ozpin wanted partners, then Sam had to get to her. Fast. She tracked the girls descent to where she would land; that is until something, or someone, smashed into Tiffany, exclaiming "Greetings my dear!" And both spiraled into the forest below.

Sam let out a frustrated sigh as she turned and angrily slid back down the tree. She was so angry in fact that she didn't notice the soaking wet boy at the bottom of the tree, and she smashed into him, sending them both to the ground. "Aww c'mon! First the pond and now this?" Yuan said, picking himself up off the dirt. He turned to see who had bumped into him "Hey, are you alrig-" He stopped as he locked eyes with Sam, trapping him in a partnership with the girl for the next four years.

"You..." Sam said, becoming furious. "You!"

"Wait! Let's talk about this!" Yuan said, backing away from the furious girl. "Please don't kill meeee!" And he turned and ran away into the forest, followed closely by Sam.

"Don't worry!" Sam called. "I'm not gonna kill you, you'll just wish I had!"

* * *

Tiffany shook her head as she stood up, dizzy from the fall. "What was that?" She asked as she looked around the small clearing where she had landed. She stopped when she met eyes with the tall silver haired boy that had caused her fall.

"Hello darling!" William said, hopping off from the log he had been sitting on. "Did you sleep well? No nightmares I hope."

"I think I'm having one right now." The girl muttered. "And don't call me darling."

"Yes yes of course my dear." William said, walking over to her. "Now that you're awake we can-"

"Don't call me dear either." Tiffany interrupted, becoming more angry with the boy.

William waved her off as he spoke again. "That is hardly the point right-"

"And another thing!" The girl continued. "You messed up my landing and nearly got us killed!"

The writer tried to calm Tiffany down. "My dear, what you fail to realize-"

"Stop calling me that!" The girl said furiously.

"If you would stop for a moment my dear you would realize that we've become surrounded." William said calmly, stopping Tiffany.

"What?!" She asked, looking around. Indeed, she could see pairs of red eyes moving among the shadows on all sides. "Why didn't you say anything?!"

"Actually, I did try and warn you of the danger." William said, taking out and unfolding his halberd.

"I really hate you." Tiffany said as she drew her own weapon. She held a huge double bladed axe, with gold trimming the handle and blades. The two stood back to back as the creatures revealed themselves to be a small pack of Beowolves.

"How many do you believe there are?" William asked.

"It's too small to be a full pack. There must be more nearby." Tiffany said. "Just stay out of my way."

"Being the gentlemen I am, I shall let you make the first move." The boy said as the Grimm prepared to attack

"How generous." Tiffany said sarcastically as one of the creatures lunged at her. She let out a battle cry as she swung at the wolf, beheading it. Another Grimm struck out at William, but he parried strike and impaled the creature. The students stood their ground as more Grimm attacked, but the creatures were defeated easily. As Tiffany dealt a fatal blow to yet another Beowolf, the remaining creatures turned tail and fled back into the darkness.

"That was rather easy" William said, twirling his weapon and observing their handiwork.

"Like I said, there's bound to be more." Tiffany said, sheathing her axe onto her back. "We need to move, so try and keep up." And without waiting for the boy, she hurried off deeper into the forest.

"But of course." William said, folding up his weapon and following the girl.

* * *

Kyla walked through the forest, picking twigs out of her hair from her landing. She hadn't found anyone else, and was just about to call out until she heard something coming from her left. She readied her weapon as a Beowolf burst from from the bushes ahead of her. But instead of attacking, the creature continued past her into the bushes at her right. The girl looked after it curiously until she heard a whimpering and explosion from where the creature had run to. Then Opal skipped out of the bushes from where the noise had come from. She stopped and waved at Kyla, "Hey sis!"

Kyla let out a sigh as she sheathed her falchion. "Hey Opal."

The ponytailed girl skipped over to her sisters side. "C'mon, let's go!"

"Alright, alright." Kyla said, and the two walked off into the forest.

* * *

Sunlight shone in patches through the leaves onto a small clearing in the forest. All was quiet as Chad walked into the glade and looked around. The blue-haired boy couldn't hear anything as he observed the clearing, but he didn't need his ears to tell that something hid at the edge of the trees. He smiled as there was movement behind him, and jumped above the Ursa that charged out of the brush. He landed behind the Grimm as it turned to face him, and more of the creatures emerged around him. Chad clicked his metal boots together, and they both transformed. Clicks emitted from them as shotgun rounds clicked into place, and as the boy lifted his foot and stomped it to the ground, each boot loaded like a gun.

The Ursa in front of him roared and swiped at the boys head, but Chad easily ducked and fired his weapon, propelling his knee into the creatures stomach. He quickly kicked with his other boot, launching the creature back. He landed and turned to face the other two Grimm, laughing.

The Ursi charged headfirst at the dancer, but he rolled under them and landed in a handstand. The creatures turned to face him, but he spun on his hands whilst firing off rapidly with his boots, firing in all directions. Both Grimm were launched back onto the ground, their bodies smoking.

Chad flipped back onto his feet, admiring his work. He neglected to notice the first Grimm he had downed had gotten back onto his feet behind him. The boy turned just in time to see the creature bear down on him, until something smashed down onto the bear from the trees, knocking it back. Norem landed next to Chad, a grey staff in his hands. "Thanks dude!" Chad said.

"Don't mention it," Norem responded, twirling his staff as the Ursa stood up once more. Then growls behind them revealed more of the creatures running into the clearing. Chad turned to face the new creatures, while Norem prepared for the Ursa before them.

The Grimm slashed out with its claws, and Norem jumped and somersaulted over the creature. As he landed the boy struck out at the bear with his staff, angering it as it turned to face him once more. Norem swung his staff at the Ursa's head, cracking its mask and killing it.

As he stood above the dead Grimm Norem heard more of the creatures and saw three of the monsters charging towards him. With a flick of his wrist he transformed his staff, expanding it into a bow as he drew a arrow from his quiver. He knocked the weapon and took aim, deadly silent as the creatures neared. He released the arrow, and had another knocked and ready just as the first pierced one of the Ursa through the eye. The creature collapsed as another arrow killed the second Grimm. The third bear however was charging lower towards the ground, it's head down in protection. The black arrows bounced harmlessly off the creatures bone-like mask, until it was finally upon the boy. The Grimm head butted the boy, launching him back and knocking the weapon out of his hand.

The Ursa ran towards the disarmed boy, fully prepared to rip him to shreds. Norem crawled backwards away from the creature, but it was far faster than him. The bear stood on its hind legs above the boy, just as he activated his semblance. Norem glowed briefly before the light around him seemed to bend and he disappeared in the blink of an eye. The creature looked around in confusion and failed to notice the grey bow behind it suddenly seem to float into the air and a black arrow knock onto it. The Grimm turned towards the weapon just as the arrow fired, killing it. The creature collapsed as Norem materialized holding onto the bow.

"Duuuude!" Chad said, walking over to Norem after he finished up with his own opponents. "That was radical! Up high bro!" And he held out his hand for a high five.

Norem rolled his eyes before he clapped hands with the dancer. "Yeah, I guess it was."

"Let's go get that artifact!" Chad said, turning and heading off into the forest with Norem close behind.

* * *

Carter ran through the forest, jumping logs and weaving around trees. He was heading east just as instructed, though he had rarely seen a living thing since he landed. No Grimm, no other students, only the occasional woodland creature here and there.

He stopped by a fallen log to catch his breath, whilst pulling an old compass from his pocket. Checking its course he prepared to head out, until he heard a twig snap off in the bushes nearby. He stopped, deadly still and listening, but no other noise came. Carefully drawing his pistols Carter crept towards the bushes until he was right in front of them. With one swift motion he swept aside the brush and aimed his weapon, only to find a gun barrel inches from his nose. He saw the gun attached to a thick bracer, which in turn was worn by a Faunus. It was the same cheetah eared Faunus from before, who looked just as surprised as Carter to see him. Shock soon turned to anger however and the Faunus growled before turning away. Too little to late though, for their eyes had met, and they were partners.

"_Great_." Carter thought as the Faunus began to storm off. "_Just great._"

* * *

"The last pair has been made sir," Glynda said, tapping her Scroll as she stood atop the cliff beside Ozpin. "We haven't had a group quite like this in some time."

"Indeed" the headmaster responded before taking a sip from his coffee. He had a Scroll in his hand as well, and was thumbing through the pairs that had been made. Oliver and Rowan were traveling along the forest floor, fortunate enough to have not run into trouble yet. The same could be said for the two sisters Kyla and Opal, though the shorter of the two was clearly a handful on her own. Sam had managed to chase Yuan up a tree, and was currently in the process of knocking the huge oak down. The pairs of Chad and Norem along with Tiffany and William had already had their own encounters, but the latter pair wasn't quite out of trouble yet. And as Ozpin observed the last pair that had been made, he looked back up into the sky above the cliffs and forest. Dark clouds had begun to accumulate in the once clear day, and the wind had begun to pick up.

"It appears a storm is brewing." Glynda said, looking to the clouds as well.

Ozpin took another drink from his mug before responding. "Yes, in the sky," the headmaster looked back down onto his Scroll, which showed all the students. "And among our newcomers."

* * *

_Thanks for reading!_


	10. Chapter 6: The Storm part 1

_Longest chapter yet! Sorry that this ones out a little late, enjoy!_

* * *

Dark clouds hung in the sky over the Emerald forest, threatening to downpour onto the woodland below. Carter walked through the forest, keeping pace with the Faunus a few yards ahead. "Hey, wait for me!" Carter called for the umpteenth time.

As he usually did, the Faunus continued without hesitation. "Stop following me." He growled.

Carter's patience was beginning to thin. "What part of partners do you not get? I'm just as happy about it as you are, but if we're gonna pass this, we've got to work together." The boys entered a small clearing, its floor covered in tall grasses which swayed with the wind.

The Faunus stopped and turned to Carter. "I work alone." He said. "I don't need your help."

Carter stopped in front of the boy. "I'm not trying to force help on you. All I'm saying is-" he paused, seeing something in the corner of his eye. He turned quickly, but there was nothing there but the tall grass rustling in the breeze. Carter turned back to the Faunus, but the boy had already begun to walk away. "Hey, wait." He said.

The Faunus spun around. "What is it this time?!" He asked angrily. He neglected to see the huge shape rise out of the grass behind him, rearing to strike.

"Look out!" Carter yelled, pushing the Faunus aside as the King Taijitu lunged at them. The boys fell to the ground as the snakes head impacted where they had been standing, tearing up dirt and grass.

"Get off of me!" The Faunus said angrily, pushing Carter away and standing up. He extended the blades from his bracers as the Grimm turned to face them.

"A simple thanks would have been appreciated." Carter said, standing up as well and drawing his pistols. The King Taijitu hissed at the sight of weapons, and reared back to strike again. "Alright, I'll distract it, while you-" but the Faunus had already rushed ahead, striking at the snake. Carter sighed, and was about to join the fight until he heard a hissing behind him. He whirled around to see the second white head of the Grimm rearing itself to attack.

He fired at the creature as it lunged at him, forcing him to dodge to the side. Carter fired multiple shots as he moved around the creature, but they did nothing to the glimmering scales of the snake. He changed strategies as he dodged another attack, transforming his weapons into the twin broadswords. He held the blades in front of him as the Grimm hissed angrily, weaving around him to find an opening. It lunged, mouth agape at the boy. Carter jumped the attack and struck downwards, striking at the head of the snake. He landed and turned towards the creature once more as it shook its head. The Grimm spared no time as it lunged at him again; this time though he sidestepped the attack and sliced out at the snake. The creature reared up in pain as one of its fangs landed on the ground a short distance away.

The snake continued to writhe in pain, and seeing his chance Carter ran towards it, swords raised. He jumped, about to deal the last blow, until the Faunus boy was thrown into him, sending them both spiraling to the ground.

As Carter's eyes cleared he shook his head and looked around, seeing the Faunus a few feet away, unconscious. Hearing more hisses he turned to the two heads of the snake slithering towards the pair, reading to strike. One of the heads reared up, about to attack the unconscious Faunus on the forest floor. Carter stood and rushed over as the snake lunged, activating his semblance as he slid in front of his partner. The Grimm's teeth shattered as it hit the glowing boy, and it hissed in pain. As he deactivated his semblance Carter swung his blades around the creature, beheading it in one swift motion.

The second head hissed angrily as the first landed on the ground, agape and smoking. Carter turned to face the snake before it lunged at him. He jumped and landed on the head, stabbing into the creatures hide. The snake thrashed around in pain, trying to throw the boy off. It swung its head up, and Carter lost his grip as he was thrown high into the air. Looking down onto the Grimm he spun and threw his sword, pulling the trigger as it left his hand. The blade propelled towards the earth, slicing right through the King Taijitu's head and impaling into the ground. The snake froze before collapsing onto the forest floor in a heap, just as Carter landed beside it.

The boy pulled his sword from the dirt and transformed his weapons back into pistols as he holstered them. The Faunus was just regaining consciousness as Carter walked over to him. "You alright?" He asked, holding out his hand to help the Faunus up.

"Fine." The boy growled, slapping the hand away and getting up on his own. He looked around at the remains of the snake, and gave a quick glance to Carter before walking off once again.

"Hey," Carter called. "Can I at least have your name? I did save you twice just then."

The Faunus stopped, his ear twitching as he appeared to be thinking. "Raphael," he said before continuing out of the clearing.

Carter sighed. "_It's a start_," he thought, following his partner back into the trees

* * *

Sam and Yuan walked through the vast forest. A thick layer of clouds was overhead. Sam had finally agreed to stop chasing the boy and accept their fate, if only to pass the initiation. She still planned on using him as her own personal punching bag for the next four years however, which gave her a little comfort. The trees around them had begun to thin, and they found themselves at the bottom of a tall cliff. A small cave was embedded into the side of the rocks, and cave markings of people with spears and bows appeared to be fighting various monsters.

"Think this is it?" Yuan asked. "The temple, I mean."

Sam looked around the small entrance to the cave, but saw nothing that looked like a temple. "No." She said bluntly, turning and walking briskly away.

"H-hey!" Yuan said, turning and running after her. "C'mon! I could make a torch and everything!"

* * *

The clouds had now completely covered the sky, and though light still shone through, the shadows underneath the canopy of trees had thickened. Hidden in one of these shadows, behind a few fallen logs, sat William and Tiffany. "Really my dear, I see no point in hiding like this," the writer said.

"Shush!" Tiffany put a finger to her lips before peeking out over the logs. "You're gonna blow our cover!"

"It's just a few Beowolves my dear, nothing to be afraid of!" William said.

"Oh really?" Tiffany whispered, turning back to the boy. "Just a few? Why don't you take a look?"

"That's a grand idea," William said, and he carefully peeked over the logs. The shadows beneath the trees made it nearly impossible to see anything, but the boy could still make out a few shapes moving among them. He counted less than a half dozen. "See? Only a few. Nothing we can't handle," William whispered over his shoulder.

"Look harder," she breathed, peeking up beside him. William turned back towards the darkness, and though it took a minute for his eyes to adjust, he began to see more. What had appeared as half a dozen was in fact far more; maybe two or three dozen Beowolves were prowling around the forest, each looking and sniffing for the pair that hid in the shadows.

"Hmm, perhaps I was mistaken." William hid back behind the cover.

"Ya think?" Tiffany hissed, ducking down as well.

"So, what's the plan?" the writer asked.

"I'm not sure. We could just wait for them to pass as long as it doesn't start to-" a small drop of water dripped on her nose, stopping her. The two looked up to see that a small drizzle of rain had begun to fall from the sky, and was dripping through the leaves onto the students.

"Oh, lovely!" William said happily. "I do love a little rain. Helps set the atmosphere of a story."

"I really hate you." Tiffany huffed, edging closer to one of the trees to try and avoid the rain. Then her eyes widened as she heard a sound approaching, like a dog sniffing around. She scooted back behind the logs beside William, who had heard the noise as well. The two hugged the logs, trying to make themselves as unseen as possible. But the sniffing got closer and closer, until a shadow appeared over the two. They looked up to see the head of a growling Beowolf right above them, fangs bared. Tiffany gasped, but William quickly out a hand over her mouth and raised his other to the Grimm. His hand glowed as he activated his semblance, and the creature suddenly stopped growling. It's eyes seemed to glaze over, and it stopped bearing its fangs at the hunters.

William raised his hand, and as he did so, the Beowolf stood up and backed away from the logs. Tiffany watched in amazement as William then flicked his finger at the creature, and it looked up into the sky and howled. All the other creatures turned towards their companion and began running over to it. Before the first could arrive however, William pointed once to the charmed wolf and then off into the trees, directing the creature. The Beowolf howled again before bounding off into the direction the boy had indicated. The rest of the massive pack followed, believing the charmed monster had found their prey. Soon the forest was still again, except for the slight rain from above.

"How did you do that?" Tiffany asked.

"That, my dear, was a little something I refer to as charm" William responded, winking at the girl. "Quite a skill, is it not?"

Tiffany rolled her eyes as she stood. "Oh please, get over yourself." She continued towards the direction of the temple. "We gotta go before they figure out your little trick."

"My dear, that little trick just happened to save you, could you perhaps be a little more grateful to me, your rescuer?" William asked as he walked up beside her. "A reward, perhaps?"

"Oh, don't worry, you've already gotten your reward." Tiffany said. "That's the thirty-seventh time today you've called me dear, and normally I would've put a stop to it just then. But considering that you did help us save on time, I'm gonna let it slide. For now." And she continued off through the trees.

"Touché." William said with a smile, walking after her.

* * *

Kyla and Opal trudged through the trees as more and more water dripped around them. Kyla was using her shield to try and avoid the rain, while her sister on the other hand was happily enjoying the weather. "Are we there yet?" Opal asked as she skipped around her sister.

"Not yet," Kyla responded. "You asked that five minutes ago. It's gonna take awhile."

"Okay!" the girl said, continuing to skip. A few minutes passed before she asked again. "Are we there yet?"

Kyla sighed as she trudged along. She was used to her sister, but even she had limits. She was about to respond to Opal when she felt a presence behind them. She halted mid-stride, spinning around and narrowing her eyes.

Opal stopped and turned, head cocked to the side. "What's up sis?"

Kyla put her finger to her lips, silencing her sister. She drew her sword from the shield, and readied it. "Who's there?" she called into the darkness.

For a minute no response came, and Kyla almost thought that she could have been mistaken, until a voice sounded from empty space in front of the two. "Relax. We're on your side."

"Then show yourself," she said, easing up but keeping her weapon raised. "If you're with us, then why are you hiding?"

"Fair enough." A brown haired boy in a blue hoodie suddenly materialized before the sisters. "But you can never be too safe," The boy said. Kyla lowered her weapon, but was still unsure of the boy.

"Coooool" Opal said, amazed at the boy's ability. At the sight of her awed expression the boy looked away, embarrassed.

Suddenly brush could be heard breaking and crashing as something approached from the undergrowth. Kyla raised her weapon once again and stood in front of her sister. As the sound got closer a boy burst from the bushes, performing a double backflip as he landed. "Dude, I thought I lost you!" Chad said, turning to Norem.

Kyla looked from one boy to the other. "You know him?" She asked the hooded boy.

"Yes, he's with me."

The dancer turned as he noticed the girls standing there, Opal looking at him with the same expression she had shown Norem. "Hey there! Sorry if I scared ya!" he said.

"That was so cool!" Opal gushed. "How'd you do those flips?"

"Years of practice!" Chad responded, puffing out his chest.

As Opal continued to bombard the dancer with questions, Kyla turned to Norem. "Sorry about that back there." She said, sheathing her weapon. "I get a little protective of my sister."

"It's alright," he said. "Sorry about following you."

"Wait, you were following us? Why?" she asked.

The boy looked a little sheepish as he looked away once again. "We, umm... well we got lost," he admitted.

"You could have just asked." Kyla said, "We would have been happy to help."

"Thanks," he replied, scratching the back of his neck.

"I'm Kyla." She held out her hand. "My sister's name is Opal."

"Norem," the boy said, shaking the girl's hand. "My partner's Chad."

"You're partner is quite... interesting," Kyla mused, looking over to Chad and Opal. The dancer was performing multiple flips and dance moves at the girls request.

"The same could be said for your sister." Norem replied.

As they had been talking, the had rain become a downpour, and suddenly with a flash of lighting thunder boomed above the group, causing all of them to jump. "We should probably get going," Kyla said. "You're welcome to come along."

"Thanks, I think that'll be safer." After rejoining their partners, the group of four quickly continued off towards the eastern temple.

* * *

Rain pelted Sam and Yuan as they trudged through the darkening forest. Both used their shields to protect them from the rain, their feet squelching through the wet ground. "Uggg," the boy complained. "We can't see anything."

Sam ignored him as she continued on, but he was right. The darkness and rain made for poor visibility, and the two could barely see beyond a few trees in front of them. The constant downpour also made it almost impossible to hear anything, leaving the two vulnerable. Their only ally now was their aura, and while Yuan complained, Sam scanned the area around them.

As the two passed by yet another huge tree, she sensed something behind a few bushes in front of them. Quickly hiding behind the tree, Sam dragged her parter along with her. "Hey!" Yuan said. "What was that for?"

"Shhh!" Sam said, quieting the boy. She crouched and looked from behind the tree past the bushes. A Boarbatusk was rooting around in the dirt, only a few yards away.

Yuan poked his head out from behind the tree as well, looking at the creature. "Oh C'mon, it's only one monster. What are you afraid of?" he asked.

"I'm not afraid!" Sam said angrily. "There could be an entire heard of them!"

"But there's only one." Yuan said, pointing. "They don't always travel in groups, you know."

"If you're so sure, then why don't you go find out?" Sam said.

"Alright, sure." Yuan said, stepping out from behind the tree. "Like I said, it's only one. It'll be fine."

* * *

A tall hill stood at the eastern end of the forest, covered almost entirely by trees. At its top was a long flat field. A sandy slope led down one side of the hill towards the cliffs, but it was quickly turning to slick mud in the rain. Perched precariously at the edge of the slope stood a small square temple; a few dozen pedestals could be seen inside. Each held a different glittering gem, and many colors shone in the structure under the temple's crumbling roof.

Carter and Raphael saw all this as they walked onto the field from the forest, having reached their destination. They saw a group of four standing in the temple as they approached it. Carter stopped when he saw the group.

"Well well well, looks like you finally made it." Emmett said, strolling over to the two. Inside the temple were the rest of the group, which consisted of Nyte and Veronica, along with a shadowy dark haired boy. "You guys couldn't have been slower."

"We took our time," Carter responded. "Besides, there's nothing to be gained by getting here first."

"Other than showing who's better of course." Emmett said, smirking. He gave a glance to Raphael, who had remained silent during the conversation. "I almost feel bad for you, getting an animal as a partner."

The Faunus growled and quick as a flash extended the blades from his bracers. He advanced on Emmett, but Carter blocked his path. "Don't. It'll only make things worse," the boy said.

Raphael tried to dodge around his partner, but Carter stood his ground. "Get out of my way!" The Faunus ordered.

"He's not worth it." Carter stated, glaring at Emmett.

The boy smirked at Carter. "Try and keep your pet on a leash next time."

Carter would have told Emmett to back off, but he had been distracted enough to let down his guard. Raphael knocked him aside as he rushed at Emmett, but just as he got close, a huge tree fell in his path. A King Taijitu had erupted from the forest, flailing about and knocking down trees. A figure was riding on the head of the creature, and they saw that it was Oliver, exclaiming "Blimey, this one's a doozie!" As the Grimm thrashed he jumped off the head and threw one of his boomerangs. The weapon spun through the air and smashed into the snake's head before returning to Oliver's hand as he landed. The King Taijitu collapsed beside him, defeated. "G'day!" Oliver called as he waved to Carter. "Lovely weather we're having."

"Yeah, the sun's really shining," Carter responded sarcastically, looking around at the pouring rain. He glanced towards Emmett, who had returned to his group in the temple. Raphael was glaring at the group, but had retracted his blades. Carter took that as a good sign as Oliver walked over to him. Then a thought occurred to him; "Hey, don't you have a partner?" he asked.

"She's catching up," Oliver said, motioning behind him. More hissing could be heard from what sounded like the other head of the snake, but ended abruptly when a few gunshots were heard. A moment later Rowan emerged from the forest, replacing her weapons at her side. Oliver waved her over, then he motioned to one of the trees. Carter happily followed him underneath the cover of the leaves, his partner following as well.

"Are we the only ones who've gotten here yet?" Rowan asked as she joined them underneath the canopy.

"The rest might be here soon," Carter said. "We could wait for them."

Oliver and Rowan nodded in agreement, but Raphael wasn't as patient. "Why do we need to wait? Let's just finish this and be done."

"It'll be better to travel in numbers," reasoned Carter.

"Hmmf." The Faunus folded his arms and leaned against the tree, away from the rest.

"What's with him?" Rowan asked.

Carter shrugged. "Wish I knew."

Thunder boomed above them as rain continued to fall, giving no sign of stopping. A few minutes passed with no one else arriving, until Rowan's fox ears twitched as she listened. She turned and squinted into the sheet of rain, towards the tree line. "More students incoming," she said, pointing.

They turned towards the direction she indicated, but it took a few seconds for the rest of the group to see what she did. Kyla, Norem, Opal, and Chad all entered the clearing together. Three of the four trudged unhappily through the rain, but not Opal. She was skipping around playfully and splashing water, much to the others' dismay. As they neared where Carter and the rest stood, they saw two more enter the field. William and Tiffany entered close by, shaking the rain off themselves.

"C'mon," Carter motioned. "Let's head to the temple." They quickly made their way through the rain into the structure. There were no walls in the temple, only pillars that held up the roof. The ruin still covered better than trees however, so no one complained. Carter was amazed at the gems that were housed here. One to each pedestal, all the crystals were cut uniquely, and each gem sparkled like they had just been polished.

"Let's pick one," Oliver said, and he and Rowan walked over to one of the pedestals. They retrieved the sparkling white gem as their artifact, and Oliver stuffed the crystal into his pocket. The rest of the students arrived, each pair taking a gem as well. Opal happily held a blue gem above her head as she skipped around the ruins. Chad retrieved a similar crystal, saying that he liked how it matched his hair.

As Carter looked around the group and artifacts, he noticed that neither Yuan nor Sam were there. Before he could ask anyone if they had seen them, Emmett and the rest of his group approached. "Alright, alright, you've got your artifacts, now if you don't mind, get out."

"What?" Kyla asked.

"I beg your pardon?" William said, turning away from the gem he was about to retrieve.

"You heard me," the boy said. "We were here first, and since we're obviously better than all of you, we get the temple to wait out the rain."

"Better than me?" Tiffany asked incredulously. "I highly doubt that. We have just as much right to be here as you. Unless you'd like to discuss the matter?" And she placed a hand on her weapon.

"Are you seriously challenging me?" Emmett asked, smirking. The other three with him walked up beside him, hands on their weapons as well.

"Four against one is hardly a fair fight!" William said, rushing to his partner's side. Tiffany rolled her eyes.

"Hey, I wanna join too!" Opal said excitedly before being dragged back by Kyla. Norem and Chad however stood by Kyla in the face off.

"Now hold on there mates," Oliver said, getting between the groups. "Fighting's not going to get us anywhere. If we're gonna get through this storm, we gotta work together."

"I'm not working with with a bunch of weaklings like you." Emmett sneered. "Especially not ones that associate with animals." He glared over at Raphael and Rowan.

That was it. The straw that broke the camels back. Weapons were drawn on both sides, and both Carter and Oliver stood between the groups. It seemed fighting was inevitable as they tried to calm everyone down. Oliver spoke out; "Listen mates! Let's all just keep our heads and not lose our-"

"RUN!" A voice echoed from outside the temple. "RUN RUN RUN!"

Everyone stopped and turned to see Yuan sprinting out of the forest, followed closely by Sam. A few seconds later a single Boarbatusk erupted from the tree line as well in pursuit. "It's just one monster." Rowan said, watching the pair curiously. It was then however that they first felt the ground begin to shake. Suddenly a stampede of the boar Grimm erupted from the woods, knocking down trees and flattening bushes.

"You know what?" All eyes turned back to Emmett, who was holding a purple gemstone. "On second thought, the temple's yours. Later losers!" he called as he jumped and slid on his feet down the muddy slope of the hill, the rest of his group following.

"Oh no you don't!" Tiffany snarled, and charged after them, sliding along her feet as well.

"Wait for me darling!" cried William, snatching up a white crystal and following his partner.

Yuan and Sam sprinted by, Yuan grabbing a gem as he passed through the temple and jumping down the slope as well. Carter turned to Oliver as he drew his weapons. "Go after them, and try and make sure they don't kill each other, we'll buy you some time."

"Sounds like a plan mate!" Oliver jumped along with Rowan. "See you on the other side!" he called behind him.

The rest of the students joined Carter to face the oncoming horde. "Exactly how much time are we expected to buy for them?" Norem asked, knocking an arrow into his bow.

Carter transformed his weapons into the riffles and loaded in clips "Each one is fairly weak on its own, so we should try and-" suddenly a roar was heard, and what looked like the herd leader charged from the forest. Four times the size of the other Grimm, its horns were almost as large as its armored body. Even the usual weak spot of its stomach was protected. The Grimm set its sights on the temple and and curled up into a ball, spinning towards the students. "On second thought, RUN!" Carter yelled, and the remaining students turned tail and fled towards the slope. Carter grabbed a red gem as he ran alongside Raphael. They reached the edge but just as he jumped from the temple, the huge Boarbatusk collided with the structure, shattering it.

Carter landed unevenly on the slope, threatening to tip over. The rain had made the mud slick as ice, and he slid upright down the hill as if on skates. He wove left and right to avoid the rocks and ruins that fell around him, keeping a grip on his weapons. Carter glanced behind him to see multiple boar Grimm charging towards him, and he turned and fired at the creatures. Some tumbled, but still more of the creatures appeared from over the hill.

Carter dodged around trees, rocks and Grimm alike as he sped down the slope. He saw Raphael wrestling with one of the creatures as he tumbled downwards, and Opal skating and spinning happily. Then a huge slab of the temple floor appeared next to him, with Chad, Norem and Kyla riding on it. He jumped onto the sliding platform, firing more rounds at the stampede that chased them. Opal and Raphael joined them on the giant sled as well, but were closely followed by more Grimm.

Chad kicked one of the creatures off as Kyla slammed another aside with her shield. Norem tried to keep the Grimm at bay, but more just continued to roll on to the platform. As Carter and his partner fought off a small group, he saw two of the creatures facing off against Opal. One of them charged her, but she easily jumped to the side and pulled out her weapons, transforming them. She held a pair of hefty single handed maces, and she giggled as she twirled them around like batons. The Boarbatusk charged again, but Opal slammed one of the maces into the charging creature. The beast was launched off the platform with a strength that didn't seem to match the girls stature. The second Grimm charged as well, but met a similar end.

A few more boars rolled up beside the platform, knocking into it and nearly shaking the students off. Opal sprung into action, pulling a trigger on the handle of the mace. With an explosive force the head separated from the handle, but was still attached with a long chain. Opal swung the transformed flail in an arc, knocking away the rolling Grimm.

Chad laughed as he kicked aside another boar. "Radical! We're gonna win this!"

"We're not done yet!" Kyla exclaimed, pointing up the slope. The huge Boarbatusk from before was speeding towards the platform, outpacing it completely.

"Can't we go any faster?" Raphael yelled as he slashed aside another monster.

Chad brightened up as he appeared to have an idea. "I got you guys! Hold on to something bros!" And he began to glow as he activated his semblance. He slammed his fist onto the platform, causing it to glow as well. Suddenly the surface became as slippery as the mud, forcing the rest of the students to stab weapons into the ground and hold onto each other. The platform picked up speed, eventually outrunning the entire herd of Grimm.

The small group celebrated briefly, before realizing just how fast they were going. Too late did they realize they were at the bottom of the slope, with multiple jutting rocks at its end. The platform crashed into one of these boulders, sending the riders flying though the air. Carter tried to steady himself, but a large stone hit his head, and he blacked out as he hit the ground hard.

* * *

Glynda and Ozpin watched the events unfold on their scrolls from the top of the cliff. Each had a large umbrella that protected them from the pounding rain.

"It's a pity, we'll have to find another temple now." The headmaster said, taking a drink from his nearly empty mug.

"I've already arranged for a new temple to be used." Glynda said. "A small circular structure at the northern end of the forest should suffice."

Ozpin nodded as he finished off his drink. "Good. I think its time to head towards the finish. The initiation will soon be over."

* * *

_Thanks for reading!_


	11. Chapter 7: The Storm part 2

_the end of the initiation! Again, sorry this is a little late, but its still technically Wednesday, and it's not easy churning out these sized chapters each week. Next few ones will probably be a little shorter, so you can expect them earlier in the day. Anyways, enjoy!_

_(P.S. Thank you to Camcake, I have gone through and fixed were I mixed up Rowan and Norems names.)_

* * *

Thunder boomed over head as Carter shook himself awake. He felt the cold wet ground beneath him as regained his senses. He heard growling and snorting nearby, and sat up quickly to see a Borbatusk charging him. Carter scrambled for his weapon, but just as the creature got close, a black arrow flew straight into its eye.

The Grimm landed in a heap beside the boy, and he looked to see Norem knocking another arrow. "Move!" Norem said, launching an arrow at another creature. Kyla and Opal were fighting nearby, along with Raphael and Chad. Carter stood and ran from the oncoming horde, looking from where they had landed. They stood at one end of a large field, and on the other end the field dropped off sharply into a huge ravine that separated them from the cliff towering above them. Three tall towers stood in a row at the edge of the ravine. Two of the towers had bridges that crossed over to the base of a cliff, where a platform jutted out at the bottom of a zigzagging stairway leading to the top. The third and closest structure's bridge had collapsed however, and the tower itself looked the worst for wear out of the three. Carter headed for the towers, along with the rest of their small group.

As they ran across the field from the Borbatusk herd, Carter saw the battle at the base of the towers. Oliver, William, Tiffany, and Rowan were defending the entrance of the middle tower from a pack of Beowulves that had joined the fray. Sam and Yuan stood in the farthest tower to the right, outnumbered and retreating. Carter could also faintly see Emmett and his gang running up the stairs of the cliff, abandoning the others.

"We've got to help the others!" Carter shouted as he ran, sending up splashes of water behind him with every step.

"I don't think we can!" Kyla called back, pointing towards the battle. The distant students were being pushed into the towers, and a huge horde of monsters separated them from any assistance. The closest and crumbling tower was the only one not surrounded by Grimm. "We'll catch up with them later."

A few Borbatusk pursued the group as they fled, and as they finally reached the entrance to the old tower, some of the creatures charged at the door. Chad and Raphael turned and fired at the creatures as the rest ran inside. "There's too many, the tower will be overrun!" Raphael said as he fired a few shots into a nearby creature. At the back of the tower was another entrance, where the beginning of the bridge would be. But only jagged stones stuck out.

"Get back!" Kyla cried, running to the entrance. She sheathed her sword into her shield and twisted the handle. The weapon transformed, folding into a gun shape. She retrieved an ammo clip from her side and clicked it into the the weapon. "Now!" Chad and Raphael jumped to the side as Kyla pulled the trigger on the gun. A huge stream of flame erupted from the weapon, roasting the attacking monsters. "I've got the entrance. Get up the tower and find us a way out!" Kyla called over the blast of flame. Chad stayed to help her as the rest hurried up the stairs of the tower.

They passed a few empty floors before reaching the top, which was also abandoned.

"There's no way across." Carter said, looking down the sides of the tower. He saw the flame at the entrance dying out, meaning the rest were coming up. "We aren't going anywhere without a bridge."

"Well we gotta figure out a way, fast." Norem pointed towards the sky. Among the dark clouds Carter saw black shapes flying towards the towers. They soon revealed themselves to be a flock of Nevermore. Each was barley the size of one the hunters, but there were dozens of the creatures flying at them.

"This day just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it." Carter said as he transformed his weapons into riffles.

Kyla and Chad arrived at the top of the tower. "We're about to have company," Kyla said, gesturing to the staircase. Sounds of Grimm could be heard charging up the tower. "Did you find a way?" she asked.

"No, we're trapped. And we've got more trouble coming," Carter responded, pointing towards the approaching Nevermore flock. Norem and Raphael fired at the monsters, barely dispersing them.

Suddenly Opal perked up. "Oh oh oh! I've got an idea sis!" The girl bounced up and down, quite cheery despite the situation. "If we can't find a bridge across, we'll just make our own!"

"What?" the rest of the group said collectively, looking towards her.

"Here, I'll show you!" And with a giggle, Opal pulled out her weapons and ran to the edge of the tower. She jumped and landed on one of the small Nevermore. The creature looked surprised as Opal propelled off its back onto another, before turning and transforming her weapons. The maces folded back into the pistol forms as Opal took aim at the bottom to the tower. As she fired no bullets appeared, but instead a stream of bright flare shots launched from the guns and erupted at the base of the structure. Opal pointed the weapon at the creature she was standing on and fired again, launching herself back towards the top of the structure as the avian Grimm exploded into fire and feathers. She landed on her feet, and gave a little curtsy. "Ta-da!"

The rest of the hunters looked flabbergasted before they felt the tower shake under their feet. The base of the tower cracked, and with a groan the tower began to tip backwards towards the ravine. Realization dawned in the students eyes as the structure shook underneath them. "Bottom of the tower, now!" Carter said, firing at a diving Nevermore.

The students ran towards the stairs, Kyla dragging her sister along. "You're a genius, Opal! A crazy, crazy, genius!" As they reached the stairs however, a few Borbatusk burst from the stairway, blocking the exit.

The students stopped dead in their tracks. "Down the side!" ordered Carter, transforming his weapons into swords. The tower was almost at a 45 degree angle, and the top was about to become vertical. The students jumped and slid down the side, Carter jamming his swords into the the tower wall to slow himself. Raphael slid beside him, clawing the stones with his weapon. Carter looked at the other towers, and saw Sam and Yuan still being pushed back at the farthest bridge. The alpha Borbatusk and the rest of the herd had begun attacking them, and was fighting with the pair. "We've got to get over there!" Carter yelled, gesturing.

Raphael looked over to the pair below. "And how, exactly, are we supposed to do that?" he asked. As they reached the middle of the tower, the structure's top had nearly reached the cliff on the other side. They slowed to a stop and stood on the collapsing structure.

"We'll cover you," Kyla called from behind them. Chad and Norem had begun to fight off the Nevermore above them, and Opal was firing flare blasts into the sky, knocking down many of the birds. A few Nevermore swooped towards them, but the three dodged out of the way and the creatures flew past. "Go, now! Like Opal did!" she commanded, clicking another clip into her flamethrower.

"This is so dumb," Raphael muttered as he and Carter ran towards the edge of the structure. They jumped, each landing on a monster. The creatures squawked in protest, but the pair had already leapt from their backs. The other creatures appeared smarter however, and didn't stick around to be used as stepping stones. Both boys fell through the air towards the middle tower's bridge, before slamming into its side. As they began to slide towards the depths of the ravine they stabbed their weapons into the stone, steadying themselves. "Told you..." Raphael gasped, winded from the fall.

"Hey, it worked didn't it?" grunted Carter, pulling himself up onto the bridge. The Faunus followed, and Carter looked back towards the collapsing tower. The top of it slammed into the cliff, and it's middle started to break and bend. The structure began falling into the ravine, but not before the students they had left jumped onto the platform at the cliff to safety. Though the flock of Nevermore had set their sights on the group and was flying in to attack. Carter took his eyes away from the group to face his own problems. A Beowolf on the tower spotted the two and began to charge.

"Heads up mates!" a voice called, and a boomerang spun past the boys and slammed into the monster, knocking it off the bridge. Oliver ran to the boys' sides as he caught his weapon, Rowan beside him. More Beowolves were poring out of the tower entrance onto the bridge, barley being kept back by William and Tiffany.

Carter looked over to the other bridge beside him, seeing Sam and Yuan fighting for their lives. The space between the bridges was too far to jump, and none of the avian Grimm were nearby. "Can you help us get across?" Carter asked, turning to Oliver and pointing to the other bridge.

Oliver looked over and nodded. "Leave it to me mate!" He pressed a button on his boomerangs. The weapons began to glow blue as dust inside of them activated, and he threw the weapons into the air. The weapons arced and hit the other bridge, forming spikes of ice that reached out to the bridge they stood on. As the boomerangs returned to Oliver's hand, a few Beowolves broke through the others' defenses and charged. "Better get going," Oliver said. "And good luck to ya." He and Rowan charged at the monsters.

"C'mon!" Carter urged, jumping off the bridge onto the ice. Raphael followed, and the two tried to steady themselves on the slippery platform. The ice cracked under their weight, threatening to break. They charged, and as they reached the bridge Carter slammed into a Borbatusk and sent it flying off the edge of the bridge. The ice shattered as they left it, it's shards falling into the ravine.

They landed next to Sam and Yuan, facing more of the monsters. "Nice of you to drop by," Yuan said, smiling to his friend.

"Don't mention it," Carter replied, facing the other monsters. The alpha led the heard, with a dozen more smaller Borbatusk behind it. The huge Grimm took up almost the entire width of the bridge. It roared at the sight of more people, and rolled up and spun towards the students. The students tried to dodge to the side, but had no where to go on the thin bridge. Carter stabbed his weapon into the side of the bridge before he fell, the huge Borbatusk rolling by. Raphael however scrambled at the stone, missed, and started to fall. Carter swung his foot and the Faunus caught it, hanging on for dear life. He swung Raphael back onto the bridge, and clambered back up.

Sam and Yuan had managed to stay on as well and looked ahead at the massive creature that blocked their only escape. "There's no way past it," Sam said. "It's too tough."

Carter thought for a moment as the Grimm turned to face the students and pawed the ground. "Sam, Rapheal, distract the alpha and make sure it doesn't charge us again," he directed. The two looked skeptical for a moment, neither liking to take orders. They made up their minds quickly though when the creature roared again, and readied their weapons. Carter and Yuan turned to face the rest of the herd that was quickly approaching.

"Please tell me you have a plan?" Yuan asked, fitting crystals into his sword.

"I'll tell you when I think of one," Carter answered, raising his weapons. The two charged, running straight for the horde.

* * *

The small cloud of Nevermore surrounded Kyla, Opal, Norem, and Chad as they fought against it. Arrows, flare shots, flames and bullets brought the birds down one by one, and the flock was thinning. "Yeah, we got this!" Chad shouted, bringing the last of the Grimm with a few shots kicked from his boots. His happiness was short lived as a huge shape slammed onto the ground, knocking him back. A Nevermore the size of an Ursa had landed on the platform, and gave a loud call above it.

The creature raised its wing as if to throw something, and Kyla's eyes widened. "Dodge it!" She called. As the bird swing its wing down, Norem disappeared while the rest dodged to the side. The Nevermore shot a volley of feathers the size of swords, which impaled into the ground were they had stood.

Kyla looked up from the ground to see Chad charging the Nevermore, and the creature turned to face him. He fired off the ground, only for the huge bird to slap him aside with its wing. The boy landed a few meters away, groaning. "Oww, not cool..."

The Grimm set its sights on Kyla, and scraped its talons on the stone as it advanced on her. As it opened its mouth to strike though, Opal ran to it, uppercutting it in the beak with her mace. She jumped and slammed both her maces into the top of its mouth, cracking its beak. "Bad birdie! Bad!" the girl scolded as she landed back in front of the creature. "No hurting sis or Chad!"

The Nevermore shook its head, dizzy from the blows. Kyla stood back up as Chad joined the two girls. The creature focused back on the three and raised its wing once again. Kyla looked to the two beside her as an idea came to her. "Chad, get above that thing. Opal, behind me now!" And she transformed her weapon back into the sword and shield. As feathers fired at them Chad launched up into the air, and Opal hid behind her sister as Kyla raised her shield. The feathers embedded into the shield with multiple thuds. "Fire, now!" Kyla ordered, stepping aside.

Opal transformed her weapon back into the flare pistols and fired at the Grimm, along with Chad from above. Explosions blasted the Nevermore backwards off the platform, and it fell smoking into the ravine. "Yeah, that was awesome!" Opal exclaimed as Chad landed beside them, celebrating as well.

Kyla looked around, just realizing the missing member of their group. "Hey, where's Norem?"

A crash behind them whirled the students around as they saw another large Nevermore land. The creature cawed as it raised its wing to strike, but a black arrow flew into the wing. The creature looked in alarm as more arrows flew into its wings and back, Then slammed into the ground as something landed on it full force. Norem stood on the creatures back, spinning his staff. "You called?" He said, smiling.

"Duuuude, radical!" Chad said, pumping his fist into the air before wincing and clinching his side. As Norem hopped off the Grimm Opal ran up to the creature and started kicking it in the head.

"Yeah, that's what you get!" the girl yelled. The Nevermore was barely conscious enough the lift its head in protest.

"Opal!" Kyla barked. The girl stopped kicking the creature and skipped back to her sister. The group turned as they heard more battles behind them through the rain and thunder. "C'mon, they might need us!" Kyla said, leading the group towards the others.

* * *

Tiffany and William stood together against a huge pack of Beowolves on the bridge. "I do believe this is the same pack as before." William remarked. "It seems they figured out our little ruse."

"Can't you use your semblance again?" Tiffany asked as she sliced one of the monsters aside.

"Unfortunately, my ability only works on single targets; and even if I were to use it, I doubt it would be much help." William responded, stabbing at the creatures.

"A simple no would have worked," Tiffany fumed as she knocked aside more Grimm. The two were being pushed back farther and farther across the bridge, barely holding on. Just as they were about to retreat backwards once more, a boomerang spun past the two, ricocheting of a few of the monsters and knocking them down. One of the Beowolves dodged the weapon and charged, but Rowan appeared and leapt over the two onto the creature. The wolf roared and swiped at its head, but the Faunus had already stabbed the blade of her pistol into its skull, and flipped off as it collapsed.

Oliver ran beside them as he caught his weapon, and the four stood facing the pack as it began to regroup. "Why don't we just run?" Rowan asked.

"They'd outrun us before we made it to the other side," Tiffany replied, flipping her axe around so the end of the handle was pointing at the oncoming creatures. She pulled back on a lever close the the blades, and a harpoon shot out of the end of her weapons handle. The harpoon stuck in the chest of the nearest Grimm, and the creature was dragged towards them as she pushed back down on the lever. As the Beowulf got near, Tiffany swung her axe around, cleaving the creature in half.

Oliver watched her as she preformed the attack, then looked around at the lighting strikes around them. As he looked to the wet stone beneath them a plan began to form in his head. "Alright mates, I've got a plan, but it's gonna be risky."

"Anything's better than this," Rowan said, shooting at the nearing Grimm.

"Alright. Rowan, can you securely hook onto one of those with your whip?" He asked.

"Too easy," the Faunus smirked, before dashing forwards towards the monsters.

Oliver turned to William and Tiffany beside him. "You two cover us from here, and get ready to jump!" And without waiting for a response he ran after Rowan.

"Wait, so we're just supposed to do what he says?" Tiffany asked perplexedly.

"He does seem to know what he's doing," William answered, spinning his weapon around. The halberd transformed into a long musket with the blade becoming a bayonet. "And frankly, we weren't getting very far with our old plan of simply fighting them head on." And he began firing into the pack of Beowulves.

"Fine, just try and keep your mouth shut," Tiffany said, reading her harpoon.

Rowan dodged around each monster's strikes, flicking her whip around her. The weapon struck the Grimm around her, distracting them. Oliver was close behind, taking out any wolves distracted by his partner. The Faunus stopped and dodged around another strike, jumping behind a Beowulf. She quickly hooked her weapon around the creature and tightened the grip. As she flipped off the Grimm, she brought the blade of her pistol down onto the creatures paw, pinning it to the stone. She landed back in front of it, Oliver beside her.

"Give it here!" he said, and Rowan tossed him the end of the whip. He quickly tied it to one of his boomerangs as the Faunus shot at the creatures around them. A Beowolf lunged at him before he could finish, but a shot from William's weapon stopped the creature. "Done! Let's move!" And the two ran back towards the others, the whip trailing back to the struggling Beowolf.

"What exactly are we supposed to do?" Rowan asked as they briefly escaped the horde. As she ran, she looked back nervously at her weapons still attached to one of the monsters.

"Just jump when I tell you to," Oliver said, running straight ahead. "And it'll be fine!"

"Jump?!" Rowan repeated her partners words, shocked. "What do you mean jump!?"

Oliver smiled but didn't give a response. A few of the creatures followed close behind, and the boy readied his weapon as they approached William and Tiffany. The whip's slack began to straighten, and Oliver triggered more dust inside his weapon. The boomerang began glowing as he threw it as far as he could into the sky. "Jump! And hold on mates!" And he slammed into Tiffany, knocking them both off the bridge.

"Are you crazy?!" Tiffany shouted as they fell from the structure.

"Harpoon the bridge!" Oliver ordered, ignoring her yelling.

Tiffany huffed, but fired anyways if only to save herself. The harpoon stuck underneath the bridge as both students clung onto the axe. Rowan and William had jumped as well, and as Tiffany reached the end of the harpoons rope, she and Oliver arched towards the two and caught them. "Hello darling!" William said merrily as he hugged his partner. Oliver smiled a silent apology to Tiffany as she gave him a harsh look. They were just swinging under the bridge as a flash of light caught their eyes. The glowing purple boomerang, which was still attached to the pinned Grimm through the whip, was struck by a bolt of lighting. The electricity shot through the cord and straight through the monster onto the puddle-riddled bridge. The entire pack of Beowolves were electrified and reduced to a bunch of burnt husks in a flash, literally.

The electricity was gone as fast as it came, and the hunters swung and landed back on the bridge just as the thunder boomed overhead. "Not bad eh?" Oliver beamed to the others as his weapon returned to his hand.

"Other than the fact that you nearly got us killed?" Tiffany accused as she retracted the harpoon to her axe. Oliver's smile faded at the accusing tone, but returned as the girl continued, "Yeah, It was a pretty good plan."

"Quite excellent I might say!" William agreed. "Simply marvelous! I must write it down!"

"How about more of a heads up next time?" Rowan asked as she wrenched her weapons from the remains of a Grimm. The group stopped as they heard roars from the bridge over, but they couldn't see through the rain.

"Let's move," Oliver said, and the four continued across the bridge.

* * *

Carter slashed a Borbatusk aside as it charged him, Yuan blocking another with his shield. "They just keep coming!" He grunted, blocking another Grimm with his broadswords and sending it splashing back onto the wet ground.

"I'm almost out of dust," Yuan said, cutting aside the monster he had blocked. "Come up with a plan yet?"

"Still working on it." Carter replied, slashing out once more. They were fighting just the front of the herd, with more monsters pilling in front of them. Sam and Raphael could be heard fighting the alpha behind them, and by the sounds of it, it wasn't going well.

"We gotta help them!" Yuan declared.

"If we both go, than the herd will overrun us, and neither of us can handle this on our own," Carter replied.

"You kidding me?" Yuan smirked, jumping back from the fight. He transformed his weapon into the staff, and the last crystal on it began to glow. Carter jumped back as a transparent white wall appeared between him and the monsters, blocking the creatures advance.

"Nice!" Carter remarked, impressed. He turned quickly when he heard more fighting behind him. Sam was thrown back from the creature as Raphael continued to attack it with no avail.

"Go!" Yuan called, staff still raised. The Grimm were tackling and smashing into the wall. Yuan was already tired, and it was clear he couldn't keep the wall up for long. "I've got this!" Carter nodded his thanks and ran to help the others through the rain.

Sam was covered in scratches and bruises, but she refused to give up as she struggled off the ground. The huge Borbatusk roared at her, but before it could charge Carter appeared, slashing out at the armor. The Grimm was unharmed but staggered back from rapid strikes, and the boy landed beside Sam.

"You okay?" He asked, looking at her injuries with concern.

"I'm fine," Sam declared, brushing him off.

Carter tried not to show the hurt in his voice as he turned back to the creature before them. "Alright, what have you got?"

"It's completely armored, even the legs," Sam reported. Raphael was blurring around the Borbatusk, striking all around it fruitlessly. "We can't even scratch it,"

Carter observed the creature, looking for any weak spot. Sam had been right, the entire body of the creature was white with armor, the only other color was a few black patches and the blood red color of its markings and eyes. "Wait," Carter said, thinking. "That's it! The eyes!"

Sam looked back to the creature as well. "That won't be nearly enough to kill it," she stated.

"It doesn't have to be," Carter replied, looking back at Yuan and then to his partner. "Raphael!" He called, signaling the Faunus.

Raphael paused and kicked off of the creature, landing beside Carter. "What?" He growled.

"I've got a plan. I need you to take out that things eyes," Carter directed. "And then I need you to use your semblance to grab Yuan when I say."

The Faunus glanced back at the mage holding back the rest of the herd as he contemplated his partners words. "Fine," he muttered. "But just this once."

Carter turned to Sam, "Alright, you and I need to get it to roll again, and then be ready to give me your shield."

"Wait, my shield?" The girl questioned. "Why?"

"Just trust me. Both of you," Carter said, looking at both of them. "I know we just met, but if we're gonna get out of this, the only way is together."

Sam looked skeptical for a moment, but as she turned back to the Grimm preparing to charge, her mind was set. "Alright, got it. You better know what you're doing."

"I hope so too," Carter replied as they faced the creature. The Borbatusk roared and ran at the three. "Charge!" he yelled, and they ran to meet the monster. Raphael jumped onto the boars head and drove his blades into its eyes. The Borbatusk reared up on its hind legs in agony, and Sam knocked into it with full force. Carter slid underneath the creature, swords scraping its stomach as it slammed its front hooves back on the bridge. He slid out behind it and jumped onto its back, striking downwards as he ran across its spine. He flipped off the creatures head as he reached it, landing beside the others as they jumped back as well. The monster roared in fury once again, and Carter saw that Raphael had done his job. The creatures eyes were completely bloodied and beaten, and the Borbatusk blundered around blind. The monster still had its sense of smell though, and turned to face the students as it rolled into a spiky ball.

"Here it comes!" Sam warned, backing up.

"Give me your shield!" Carter called, and Sam tossed her shield to him as the alpha spun towards them. "Behind me!" He ordered, kneeling down and activating his semblance as he thrust the shield at an angle into the ground. Sam and Raphael kneeled behind him and braced for impact as the spinning wheel of death reached them. But instead of crashing into them the huge Borbatusk launched of off Carter like a tiny ramp, sending it high into the sky behind them. Carter deactivated his semblance as he turned to his partner. "Now!"

The Faunus glowed and sped forwards, and was suddenly back with a very surprised Yuan. "Woah! What the? What?" Yuan stuttered as he looked around in confusion. Carter watched the white wall disappear and the herd of Grimm spill out, only for the alpha to come crashing down onto them from the sky. The bridge snapped on the impact, and the entire structure began to fall.

"Run!" He exclaimed, tossing Sam her shield as they ran frantically for the cliffs. The bridge collapsed behind them piece by piece, getting closer each time. As they reached the end the final piece fell from under Carter's feet, and he started to fall until a hand grabbed his arm. He looked up to see Raphael gripping him, and he clambered onto the platform. "Thanks..." Carter huffed, laying on the ground, exhausted.

"Don't mention it," the Faunus replied, breathing heavily as well.

Carter looked up into the sky to see that the clouds had started to thin, then he heard a voice a few feet away; "That was awesome!"

He sat up and looked around to realize that the rest of the students stood around them. Opal was the one who had spoken, and was beaming along with Kyla. Beside the two sisters Chad leaned against Norem for support, clutching his side. Oliver stood alongside Rowan, William, and Tiffany, grinning at him. Yuan and Sam stood beside them, wheezing as well.

"Well that was fun," Yuan coughed. "Let's do it again sometime," and he held out his hand to help Carter up.

"Maybe," He said as he was hoisted up. Carter pulled out the large glittering gem from his pocket as the others did the same, looking at the stairs that led up the cliff. "But first, we've got some artifacts to deliver."

* * *

The sixteen first years all stood next to the stage at the post-initiation ceremony, each bruised, cut, dirty, and still damp from the rain. The headmaster stood on the stage as the crowd applauded the students achievements. The screen above Ozpin showed faces as he began calling names; " Emmet Daltroy, Nyte Perth, Veronica Karan, Tomas Yale." Emmett and the rest of his gang stepped onto the stage. "The four of you retrieved the amethyst gemstones. From this day forwards you will work together as team ENVY, led by Emmett Daltroy." The crowd cheered as the students walked off the stage with their new titles. New faces appeared on the screen as Ozpin listed new names; "Kyla Greene, Norem Ezi, Opal Greene, Chad Tarek." The four students walked up onto the stage, Opal skipping happily as Kyla tried to calm her down. "The four of you retrieved the sapphire gemstones. From this day forwards, you will work together as team KNOC, led by Kyla Greene!"

The crowd cheered as the students celebrated, Chad doing a few flips and dance moves as Opal turned to her sister. "Congrats sis!"

As team KNOC walked off the stage Ozpin continued as the projector changed and four more students walked onto the stage. "Oliver Tie, William Barnaby, Tiffany Kuwat, Rowan Cameleo. The four of you retrieved the diamond gemstones. From this day fourth, you shall work together as team OWTR, led by Oliver Tie!" The crowd continued its applause as William nonchalantly placed an arm around Tiffany, but was quickly shoved away. Team OWTR walked off the stage as the last students walked onto the stage. "And finally, Carter Dawnark, Yuan Encanto, Raphael Gepard, and Sam Tameng. The four of you collected the ruby gemstones. From this day fourth you will work together as team CYRS, led by Carter Dawnark!" Yuan clapped Carter on the back, grinning. Sam seemed slightly surprised, but congratulated him as well anyway. Even Raphael had a small hint of a smile, though he hid it as his team looked to him.

"Well, looks like we're gonna be stuck together for the next four years!" Yuan said, slinging his arms around Carter and Sam.

"Try not to spend it with a broken limb, would you?" Sam threatened, and her partner quickly withdrew his arm from her shoulder in fear. As the ceremony ended all the students trudged to their assigned dorms, so tired none of them even remembered the trip there. The only thing Carter remembered was crawling into a warm bed, and falling instantly to sleep.

* * *

_Thanks for reading!_


	12. Chapter 8: First Day

_Next chapter is up, Enjoy!_

* * *

The sun rose to shine on the large dorm building at the edge of Beacon Academy. A warm breeze flowed through the open window of one of the dorms, washing over the students that occupied it. In the hallway outside the room a square metal plate labeled the room, with the letters CYRS along with the room number 37. Another door directly across the hall was labeled OWTR 38, and two more rooms further down the hall read KNOC 36 and ENVY 35. At each end of the hallway the hall split off to both the right and left, and at one intersections there was a single door, while at the other was two.

Back at room 37 one of the first year students began to stir, Carter awaking to his first official day at Beacon Academy. He got out of his bed, which was the closest to the left wall, and looked around and the dorm he would be living in for the next four years. The room was rather small, one large open window and a door each on the other walls. The bed closest to Carter's was occupied by Yuan, who was snoring away as usual. The next bed, which Carter assumed belonged to Raphael, was empty. He looked around the dorm, but his partner was nowhere to be seen. The last and farthest bed was Sam's, but it was hard to tell as the only implication was the small cocoon of blankets curled up on the bed.

Carter opened the door opposite the window and looked out into the hallway, but saw that no one else seemed to be out and about. He checked the other doors in his dorm, and found that one was a closet while the other was a small bathroom. He was still blinking sleep from of his eyes as he saw the luggage stacked beside one of the walls, and he pulled out his rucksack and set it on his bed. As he went to open it however a sound was heard from the window, and he looked to see his partner climb into the room.

"Little early to be out, don't you think?" Carter asked, turning back to his bag. He received only a huff from the Faunus, and he glanced over to see Raphael retrieving his own small bag.

Carter opened his luggage and laid out its contents onto the bed. As he looked down onto everything he owned, he realized just how little he carried in his travels. A few sets of clothing along with his green scarf was in a small pile. He pulled his compass from his pocket and set it beside a rolled up map covered in marks and drawings. A notebook filled with sketches and writings sat atop a small pile of different books, and a leather wallet filled with lien lay next to it. Souvenirs consisting of various objects was in another pile, mostly consisting of different stones and a few shells. The nicest things Carter owned were his small Scroll and with his weapons.

A snort behind Carter caught his attention as he turned to see Yuan waking up. "Mornin'" the blond boy yawned.

"Morning," Carter replied.

"We unpacking already?" Yuan asked, looking at his friends belongings laid out and Raphael rummaging through his bag. "Alright!" And he jumped out of his bed and sped over to his own bag. As he dumped the contents onto his bed the ball of blankets at the farthest bed began to stir.

"Who's being so loud?" Sam asked as she emerged from her cocoon and trudged out of bed. She had awful bed head, her hair sticking out at odd angles as she tugged at it with a hairbrush.

"Nice hair," Yuan remarked, which was received with the brush flying into his head.

"At least I don't snore," Sam retorted as her partner fell backwards onto his bed, a red mark on his forehead.

"Guys, it's the first day. Can we try not to fight?" Carter asked.

"He started it," Sam mumbled, retrieving her own bags. She picked up the brush from the floor and finished combing down her hair.

Yuan sat up, rubbing his head. "Oww, that hurt," he complained.

"You did kind of ask for it," Carter said.

Yuan mumbled something incoherently as he turned back to unpacking. The morning continued as the students emptied their bags. Carter hung up his map on the wall beside his bed, while placing the various stones and shells on the stand by his bed. Yuan hung a large poster above his bed, which showed a few famous hunters and huntresses. Raphael only unpacked his clothes and stuck them in the closet with everyone else's, leaving the rest of the bags contents unseen and stuffing it under his bed. Sam was the only one with more than one bag, one of which was filled with awards and trophies and she displayed them on her portion of the wall and desks.

As Carter was storing the team books onto the shelf under the window, he came across a small binder in his pile of books. "Hey Yuan, check this out," he said after he opened the binder.

Yuan walked over to look over his shoulder to see the book filled with collectors cards. "Dude, nice! You've still got your Hunters cards! We can totally play together now!" He exclaimed.

"I didn't even know I still had these," he noted as he flipped through the pages. "It's been awhile."

As Yuan pulled out his own binder Sam walked over to the boys curiously. "What are you guys talking about?" She asked.

"Nothing!" Carter exclaimed, quickly closing the book and looking embarrassed.

Yuan however had a different response. "Only the greatest card game ever. Check this out!" And he showed Sam a few of the cards.

"Isn't that the nerdy card game that little kids play?" Sam asked as she looked over the cards.

"No!" Yuan burst out defensively. "It's a very complex turn based card game that involves only the best strategy and tactics!"

"Suuuure," Sam smirked, walking away. "I'll just leave you to your 'advanced game' that's only for ages 7 and up," she remarked, glancing back to Yuan's poster with the small age rating at the bottom.

"Thanks for the support," Yuan grumbled as he turned back to Carter.

"You were the one who showed her the cards," the boy mumbled. "I would have been fine with her not knowing."

As they finished unpacking team CYRS stepped back to admire their work; the small dorm room already looking more like a home. "Not half bad, if I do say so myself," Yuan stated.

"Yeah, I could live here for four years," Carter agreed.

Sam stepped forwards and turned to the three boys. "Alright, I think it's time we set some ground rules."

"What? Why?" Yuan asked.

"Because I'm the only girl on this team. And considering we all just barely met, I don't trust any of you. Especially you." She growled, looking at Yuan.

"But Carter's the leader! He should make the rules, right?" The blonde boy turned to the team leader.

All eyes turned as Carter, who looked surprised to suddenly be pulled into the conversation. "Uh, well, she's kind of right. If she wants to make a suggestion, I'm open to hear it. What about you?" Carter asked his partner. Raphael simply shrugged and leaned against the wall.

"Doesn't talk much, does he?" Yuan whispered to his friend. The Faunus turned his head over to the two, giving a glare that suggested he heard the comment.

"Alright," Sam began, grabbing the other's attention once more. "First off, I get the bathroom in the morning. Whenever I want, in fact. No questions asked. Second, no one touches the trophies. Third, that portion of the room," she motioned to the area around her bed. "Is mine. No one else's. Four, like I said, I'm not quite ready to trust any of you yet. Particularly your combat skills."

"But we fought together in the initiation," Carter chimed in.

"True, but that was only one fight," Sam retorted. "I don't want any weak links slowing me down. You'll need to prove your worth."

"Hey, but you and I fought together before that final fight," Yuan protested.

Sam turned her head and raised an eyebrow at the boy as she spoke. "The only other fight we were in was against that one Borbatusk, and we all know how that ended."

"It got the jump on me!" The boy objected. "How was I supposed to know there was an entire herd?!"

Sam was about to retort back when the group heard what sounded like yelling from outside the dorm. Carter opened the door and poked his head out, and the sound continued from the room labeled OWTR across the hall. "That sounds like... Tiffany?" Sam wondered aloud.

"We should probably check on them," Carter said, knocking on the door. Sam stood next to him along with Yuan, while Raphael stayed in the dorm room, seemingly uninterested.

As Carter knocked on the door they heard someone walking over on the other side while the yelling continued. The door swung open to reveal Oliver, who brightened up as he saw the others. "G'day mates! Glad to see ya! Get everything unpacked already?"

"Yeah, just about," Carter replied. "We just came over to see what all the commotion was about."

"Ah, that," Oliver shoulders slouched. "They've been like that all morning. The yelling's new though." The three looked over the boys shoulder into the dorm. Tiffany was screaming her lungs out at William, while Rowan was fruitlessly trying to ignore the exchange.

"I refuse I live in the same room as you!" Tiffany screamed at William, who was completely calm, "Especially not if you believe that I'll let you fill our bookshelf with that garbage!"

"My dear, this is not garbage," the writer said, picking up one of the books from the pile around him. "These are all my most famous novels and poems, and I never live anywhere without my most known works."

"It's ALL of your works!" Tiffany retorted. "And stop calling me dear!"

"Soooo," Carter said, turning back to Oliver. "Seems like you've got everything under control, so I think we should probably go..."

"C'mon mate," the boy whispered. "Don't leave me with those two!"

"You've got Rowan though," Carter said as he and his teammates backed away from the door.

"She's not enough! You've gotta-" but the door was already closing on the boy, and he was cut off as it snapped shut.

"How long do you think they'll be like that?" Carter asked.

"Well, knowing Tiffany, I'd say the next five years," Sam responded.

"But we're here only for four," Yuan said, confused.

"Exactly," She stated as she walked back into their dorm. The two boys stayed in the hall, looking around at the hallway designated for the first years.

Yuan looked down one end of the hall at the intersection with two doors. "Looks like those are the showers," he said. He looked towards the label at the opposite and suddenly looked surprised and happy. "Dude, we've got our own lounge!" And Yuan sped over to the door.

Carter followed as the blonde boy opened the door and saw a large room. "Woah," He marveled, Impressed. The room had two windows opposite the door, and a small television sat on a stand in the corner of the room. A few couches and beanbag chairs faced the television, along with a low coffee table. At the other end of the room was a kitchen, complete with an oven, a wrap around counter, a fridge, and cabinets filled with plates and various cooking tools.

"I could get used to this!" Yuan sighed happily as he fell into one of the beanbag chairs.

The door opened behind Carter and he turned to see team KNOC entering the lounge, looking just as Impressed. "Duuuuude!" Chad exclaimed, "radical!" And he slouched into one of the chairs as well. Norem knelt down to take a look at the television.

Opal bounced around, looking at every little detail as Kyla walked over to the kitchen area and inspected it. "It's not much, but I can work with it," she observed.

"You cook?" Carter asked.

Opal stopped and turned to face the boy. "Yeah she cooks! Kyla's got sooooo many awards, and she can make any kind of food perfect!"

"I wouldn't go that far per say..." Kyla murmured, slightly embarrassed. "And It's only a few medals..."

Suddenly a knock came from the door and team OWTR along with the rest of CYRS looked through the door. "C'mon guys, class is about to start," Sam declared.

"Who do we have first?" Yuan asked as he pulled himself out his chair.

Carter pulled a small schedule from his pocket and checked it. "Looks like we've got Grimm studies with professor Port first."

Yuan brightened up at the mention of the name. "Right! I almost forgot! This is gonna be awesome! We get to be taught by one of the greatest hunters of all time, and my favorite card! Do you think he'll sign my platinum edition foil card of him?" He said excitedly.

"Maybe?" Carter said. "We'll have to see when we get there." The students left the lounge and headed off to their first day of class.

* * *

_so just in case any of you were confused about the layout of the rooms, this is the basics of it: four dorm rooms, each with a closet and bathroom. They're connected by one hallway, two rooms on each side. At both ends of the hallway it splits off (to go outside and other floors and things). At one intersection is the showers, at the other a lounge. I added the lounge because I thought it would be a good place for small events and conversations. Long story short it'll be visited often._

_thanks for reading!_


End file.
